


Prelude To An End

by mccloudfan50



Series: Beginning [1]
Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Cerinia, Death, Destruction, Evil, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friendship/Love, Good, Hate, Keila, Love, Love Triangles, Magic, Mystic, Non-Consensual Violence, Outer Space, Past, Planet, Requited Love, Romance, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Seven, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Sexual Content, Shine, Star Fox, Star Fox Adventures, Torture, Twins, Unrequited Love, Violence, power, space, world
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-02-08
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2017-10-30 19:29:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/335262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mccloudfan50/pseuds/mccloudfan50
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a beginning, one that leads to an end. But the end leads to a new beginning. This is no old story your grandmother curled up to the fire to read. This is a tale of wickedness, destruction, and above all, love. Welcome to the lost corner of Lylat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone. I've already been working on this on fanfiction.net, but a friend recommended me to here. I thought I would go ahead and give it a chance.  
> This story is basically a prequel to Star Fox Adventures (which is an awesome video game, in case you don't know). I have another story on fanfiction.net that is a work in progress as well... but in order of time, this one comes first. I'll probably throw in the first couple of chapters from the sequel before I finish this, but I'd like to get it rewritten entirely before I do anything else with it. Prelude encompasses the past of Krystal, a Star Fox character, and her friends and family. I hope you enjoy it. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Krystal's back story. This starts before Krystal was born. There will be a lot of unfamiliar faces here for quite a while because she doesn't even meet the Star Fox team until Star Fox Adventures and the happenings of Dinosaur Planet. Bear with me with the OCs and unfamiliar faces, guys. It will all make sense eventually.

Long ago, a fox named Ramiro found a stone on the beach. The stone was blue, and shone with brilliant energy. When he touched it, he knew the stone was powerful. In an accident involving electricity, the fox was killed. The stone lay in his pocket when he died, and with it, his body was buried.

After several hours, the stone revived him. His fur color changed to gold, and he was left with the ability to see visions of the future. Using this ability, he escaped his grave and saved the life of a young feline woman named Krin. Together, they created a planet and inhabited it with several tribes of dinosaurs. But they miscalculated, and the stone's magical energy in the core began to tear that planet apart from within.

To stop this, they created four spell stones to absorb the energy and keep it from destroying everything. The dinosaurs began to absorb the excess energy as well, and soon became self aware, and learned to speak. The fox and the cat created large temples and structures for them. In order to keep peace, the Krazoa were created as well.

After many years, they created a second planet. This planet, they also inhabited with dinosaurs. But the dinosaurs here were much larger, stronger, and more vicious than the other planet. They built themselves a castle in the sky in which to live. A ship crashed one day, filled with passengers from the outside world. The fox and the cat watched over them for several months as they built shelters and fought off the predators.

Another ship landed one day, full of pirates. They tried to destroy the small group of people. The fox stopped them using the stone, and he and the cat decided that the planet needed protecting. Together, they created a field that would render anything electronic useless. Then, they created plants to release toxic spores into the air. Only those who were already alive on the planet were immune to the spores. The planet was named Cerinia.

After a hundred years, the fox and cat rescued more people from death. An owl named Dakite, and a ferret named Maye. Together, they helped the people create a village, and they watched over them.

They called themselves The Guardians.

( **100 years later...** )

Far away in the deep reaches of space, inside a castle made of crystals floating high up in the sky, a wolf lay unconscious on a table. Two women stood over him with excited and worried expressions.

"He's going to wake up today. Ramiro said his name is Shinae... Shinae, wake up. Wake up, Shinae." Her voice was sweet, pleasant. Just like he remembered it.

_No. Go away. You rejected me._

"Shinae, it's alright now. Open your eyes." Her hand touched the skin on his arm.

_I went and crashed my ship into a wall because of you. I hate you. You killed me._

"Are you sure he's okay?" Another voice asked from farther away.

"He's stirring, but I think he's having some kind of dream. Shinae, wake up." Her voice was soft and caring, filled with concern.

He was dead, after all. His childhood friend rejected him, and he had went and killed himself.  _Why the fuck did I do that?_

"Shinae!" The volume of her voice grew louder.

_Leave me alone. I'm fucking dead._

"Shinae!" Her voice demanded acknowledgement. He opened his eyes slowly, expecting to see the fires of hell overtaking him. He hadn't exactly lived a very righteous life.

Instead, a beautiful blue furred ferret stood over him, a worried look on her face. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought we'd lost you."

He blinked several times. The voice didn't belong to who he thought it did. "Am I in heaven?"

"No, love. You're with us. You're a Guardian now." She held out her hand with a soft smile. "I'm Maye. I didn't introduce myself properly."

He reached gingerly for her hand. His body felt strange... Catching sight of his own arm, he cried out in surprise and slid backwards, falling off the table he'd been lying on. "Fuck! What's going on?"

"Don't use that language with me. I told you. You're a Guardian now."

"What's that mean?"

"I don't think he knows, Maye." A second voice spoke. Shinae turned to see an emerald green feathered owl. "We are the creators of the planet below. We protect it. We shape it. We are the Guardians. And now you are one too."

"What if I don't want to be?"

"What's not to want? You're immortal. You can go anywhere or do anything that you want. And you have special powers. We all have an ability of our own, besides telepathy and short range teleportation."

Shinae rubbed his eyes. "This has got to be some kind of fucked up dream. There's no way this is real."

"Language!" Maye snapped. She resumed her calm stature. "Ramiro told me to rescue you. He's seen our future, and you're in it."

"Who?"

"Ramiro is our elder. He was the first Guardian, a thousand years ago, when he found the stone. His special ability is to see the future. He has visions periodically, and they always come true. He saw us in his visions, and he rescued us. There are four of us. Ramiro, Krin, me, and Dakite." She gestured to the green owl woman. "Ramiro saw Krin in a vision, and he rescued her from her death. The same thing happened with us. None of us would be alive without him."

"So this guy can see the future, and he wanted me to be saved?"

"Yes. You're a vital part of our future. Ramiro said that there will be seven of us. He and Krin are forging weapons for us. We are to protect the village below."

"So... what are all your powers?"

"I can possess people." Maye smiled. Shinae blinked several times, slightly disturbed. "Dakite's power is healing. She can heal most small wounds, and some severe ones. She can't grow things back, but she can stop bleeding and all. Krin's power is temporal manipulation. She can create a vortex through space to wherever she wants and pluck things out of it. We don't know yours yet. You'll have to figure it out, unless Ramiro has a vision of it."

"So... I have some mystical power thing. And I have to figure out what it is. I'm also an immortal red-furred...  _thing_. And then there's a guy who can see the future, some chick who can make portals, one who can possess people, and one who can heal people. Am I missing anything?"

"We're here to protect the planet, and ultimately the universe."

"So, now I'm part of a band of saviors."

"Correct."

Shinae laughed. "Lady, you're delusional. I'm a loser with no job and no life who just tried to kill myself. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go finish the job." He stood up and began to walk away.

"Stop!" Maye cried. She grabbed his arm. "We need you."

"I don't want to be here. I want to be dead, not some immortal freak."

The door opened, and a white cat stepped into the room. "Ramiro's found the next one. A girl on Fichina who's freezing to death. We must go now." She held out her hand, and an electric ball of energy appeared in front of it. It grew to the size of a person, and then spread out to be a door.

"You wait here." Maye said. "If we leave the planet for more than a few moments, we die." Her body collapsed on the floor.

Shinae ran to her side. "Maye!"

"It's fine. She does that." Dakite said. "In order to possess someone, she must leave her own body behind. Only for a few minutes, or else she'll die. But she has longer than we would."

"You all look alive to me."

"Feline isn't." Krin said. "She walked through my portal to save Maye, and she died before making it back."

"Oh..."

A man walked through the portal, carrying a blue lizard girl. "Quick, take her." The man set the girl into Shinae's arms, and then ran through the portal. Maye sat up with a start. "Dakite!"

The green avian was already working to save her. Krin had fled the room, but returned a moment later with a glowing blue stone. She held the stone to the girl's chest, and a white glow began to spread. When it faded, the girl's skin was purple.

"Good. She looks as if she'll survive."

"So...you just randomly save dying people?" Shinae asked.

"It's not random. Ramiro sees in his visions who needs to be saved." Maye said.

"But what about the rest of them?"

"There's nothing we can do for the rest of the world."

"Then what kind of Guardians are you?"

"We can't save everyone. Some people are meant to die." Maye said softly.

Shinae pursed his lips. "Then I don't want this." He stormed out of the room.

"Let him go." Krin said. "We need to make sure this one is alright."

Shinae sat down on the floor, hands balled into fists. He looked down at his red fur and scoffed. All he'd wanted was to die, and now he was immortal. He closed his eyes, holding in his rage.  _Why do I have to live while others would give anything for this? I would give anything to trade places with them..._

Slowly, everything became white. He opened his eyes. There was nothing but white.  _Am I dead? Was that a dream?_

Through the white fog, he began to see stars and planets. It was like flying, but really fast. He flew right back to his home planet, and found the girl who had started it all.

"Taya..." He whispered.

The endless white returned, but it was different now. She was there. Her light grey fur stood out in the white background. Her little white accents on her pointy ears and long, sleek tail had never seemed so attractive to him. She was naked, but he didn't really mind.

"Shinae?" She stared at the red wolf before her. He was far more muscular than she remembered. And red! When she had known him, his fur was light brown and white. He was also completely naked, which was quite startling to her. She noticed her own nudity and covered herself with her arms and her tail.

"I-..."

"What the hell?" She turned around. "What is this?"

"I don't know..."

"What's with your fur? Why are you red? Are you-... oh my God, are you Satan?"

"What?! No!"

"What the hell is going on? Where are we?"

"I don't know..." He looked around. "Maye said we'd have powers... Maybe this is my power."

"What are you talking about? Explain what the hell you did!"

"I... I was dying. I thought I was dead, and then I was in this weird place. They said I'm a Guardian. That Guardians have powers. I think this might be my power?"

"Whatever it is, turn it back. Make this stop. I have to get back!"

"I don't know how it works!"

"Look, I'm going to ignore the fact that you kidnapped me out of mid air and that we are now in some white void, stark naked. I'll let that go, if you send me back! I was in the middle of a god-damn dog fight! My ship is probably gone by now, with no one piloting it!"

"I saw you, though. Time was frozen. Maybe it's still frozen."

"Oh, so now you can stop time?"

"I don't know! I've never done this before."

"Well you'd better undo it right now!"

"Taya, I..."

"Take me back!"

"Taya! I love you."

She stared at him for a moment. "Stop that."

"But I do."

"Shinae, I haven't seen you in years. I'm married now. I have a baby. You can't just take me away like this and expect everything to be how it was! I'm not sixteen anymore. I'm not your childhood friend. We're different people now. I'm an adult, and a mother. No more silly games, Shinae."

He blinked a few times. "Years? Wha-..."

"I have to go back to that fight. I have to win that fight so that I can go home and see my family."

"But I just saw you yesterday."

"What?"

"It was yesterday! I asked you on a date, and you told me that you liked that cat guy."

"That was more than ten years ago. That 'cat guy' is named Robert, and we're married."

Shinae took a step back. "How is that possible...?"

"You disappeared. I never heard from you after that. I thought you would at least pursue a friendship with me, but you vanished. I missed our friendship for a while, but you never once tried to contact me. What were you even doing for eleven years?"

"I swear to you, to me it was yesterday. I killed myself, Taya. I got into my ship and I crashed it into a wall because I didn't want to live without you."

"Stop that."

"It was yesterday! I woke up this morning to strange people in a strange place, telling me that now I'm immortal and I have special powers."

"Stop that right now."

"How else can you explain what this is? I've never had anything like this happen in my life."

She turned away from him and put her head in her hands. "Stop this! You're making it up!"

"Everything I said is exactly what I know."

"Let me  _go._ " Taya said. "I have to get back to my family." _  
_

Shinae felt a lump rising in his throat. How could ten years have passed? The white began to fade, and Taya disappeared. He watched through the fog as time resumed, and Taya appeared in her ship.

She was unprepared for the sudden jolt, however, and failed to correct her flight path in time to avoid a head on collision with a dog fighter.

Shinae screamed. Taya appeared again, arms over her face. She began to cry. "I can't... I can't do it..." She looked up at Shinae. "What have you done!?" Tears streamed down her face. "The minute you send me back, I'm going to die!"

"I'm sorry!" He was crying too, now. "I didn't know... I don't know how to control it!"

"I'm going to die..."

"No!"

"But that's it! I'm going to die today." She sobbed. "I'm never going to see my baby girl again..."

Shinae dropped to his knees in defeat. All he'd wanted was to die, but instead he had condemned her to that fate. "I'm sorry..."

"Why couldn't you leave me alone!?"

"I'm sorry!"

Taya collapsed to the ground, sobbing. "I'm never going to see them again."

"As long as you're here, you're still alive, right?"

"How is this alive? Stuck in a white void, without my family? Shinae, you have to send me back."

"But you'll die!"

"I would rather die than live forever without them."

He stared at her through his tears. "There's got to be a way for me to save you."

"Then find it! You're the one who got me into this mess, now get me out of it!" Her body began to fade. She looked down, and then up at him again. "No... no! Not yet, please!" She reached out towards him as she faded from sight.

"No! No, Taya! Taya!" Shinae screamed, but she was already gone.

( **Many Years Later...** )

Shinae sat on the edge of a cloud, overlooking the village. He had learned a lot in the years he spent with the Guardians. They had all been waiting impatiently for the girl they had rescued to wake up from her coma. According to them, his own coma after being rescued had lasted eleven years. It was a surprisingly fast recovery time, they had told him. Maye had been in the coma for one hundred and seven years, and Krin had slept for one hundred and eighteen years. Dakite had only been down for forty-two, but the new girl had been asleep for ninety-four years already.

Ninety-four years, and he had still not stopped thinking about  _her_.

_I would rather die than live forever without them._

He swallowed, clenching his teeth as he watched the children below him play.  _I would rather die than live forever without you,_ he thought.

Keila, one of the children, was playing with Michal again. It didn't take Ramiro's visions to see that they would end up together. Tomas, a seven-year-old squirrel, was quite ill. He had been born much smaller and earlier than the other babies, and it was obvious that something was wrong with him. He was a sweet boy, but it didn't look like he would live to be very old.

"Shinae, come quick! The girl is waking up!" Maye's voice echoed in his head. He sighed, using up some energy to teleport back to their castle. The powers they gained were derived from a strange blue stone. Its energy was endless. Any time one of them felt tired, they needed only to touch the stone to feel revived. It had granted each of them a different power when it brought them back to life. He didn't do much in the way of helping them. He often tried to save people on his own. Just the other day, he'd stopped one of the village children from wandering into the forest. Most of what the Guardians did was sit around and study the stone and its power, and wait for Ramiro to have more visions of the future.

Shinae walked into the room. The purple lizard's eyes were already open. Dakite was next to her, using her healing magic to ensure the girl was alright. Krin was on the other side, talking to her softly.

"It's alright, love. You're a Guardian now. Everything is going to be okay. Your name is Talia, right?"

The girl nodded.

Shinae didn't really want to be here. He watched the others coo over the newest member, and tuned out the beginning of their explanation to her of what was going on. He didn't really feel like he belonged. The Guardians were supposed to be all about saving people, and he had let her die.

He left them again to be in his circle of self pity.

( **Several years later...** )

"No, you're not getting it. We save her. We have to save her!" Shinae shouted. The girl laying bloodied and dying in the next room had struck a chord in his heart. She reminded him of Taya. He couldn't let her die. Not again.

"The best we can do for her now is either to let her die, or to reincarnate her." Krin said.

"Please. We have to save her. I'm begging you." His eyes were brimming with tears. He couldn't bear to watch her die a second time.

Krin sighed. "This is only a theoretical procedure, you understand. We've never actually attempted it. She could still die."

"We've got to at least try!" Shinae was desperate.

Krin sighed again. She walked back into the room where Maye and Dakite were trying to help keep the girl comfortable. She had been lying in the snow, miles away from the village, and suffered an attack from a carnivorous dinosaur. Her fur was grey, like Taya's. She was also a cat, like Taya.

Shinae left the room. He paced back and forth nervously. His deep sunset red fur was damp from the sweat induced from his uneasiness.

"Stop doing that. You're making me nervous." Maye said. Shinae looked over into the soft blue eyes that perfectly matched the hue of her fur.

"I  _am_  nervous."

"Sit down, Shinae."

He stopped pacing and stood still for a moment. "This isn't going to end well. I know she was supposed to die. The only two choices are to let her suffer, or to reincarnate her into the village."

"Ramiro will decide."

"I don't trust him."

"He's our leader..." Maye argued.

"Why? Because he found a space rock that glows and grants its users mystical powers?"

"Because he is the oldest, the strongest, and the wisest."

Shinae shook his head in disgust. In the hundred and three years he had been with the Guardians, he never fully trusted Ramiro. Perhaps it was his competitive side; his instinct to want to be the lead male. He was a wolf, after all. And in his past, he had been the leader. Until he met  _her._

He shuddered at the sudden memories.

It was Maye who had demanded to Ramiro that the boy be saved. She had found him in the wreckage of his own ship, purposely crashed into the side of a building. They healed his wounds and brought him back from his near-death state. He had nearly gone stir-crazy in the last few decades. There was hardly a thing to do besides watch the villagers on the planet below grow old and die.

He brought his mind back to the present, where they were waiting to hear word from Dakite and Ramiro if the girl he had rescued would live or die.

He had found her next to lifeless on one of the deserted islands on the back-side of Cerinia. Her left leg was torn clean off, her right one chewed off at the knee. Her thigh looked to have been used as a chew toy for a hungry TreeClinger, who he found attempting to chew off her arms to get to her vital organs. It was a miracle the girl was even alive.

She was skin and bones anyway, and it didn't look like she had a lot of blood to spare. She had to have lost at least half of her body's blood. It covered her entire body and clothes. Her long, black tail was the only part of her that had been spared the carnage. She had passed out not long after he found her half-conscious on the ground.

"You're pacing again."

"I'm sorry..." He sat down.

A second later he was up and pacing again. Maye sighed. "You know, if I didn't know better I'd say you were attached to that girl."

He stopped dead in the midst of his pacing and stared at her. Then he blushed and continued pacing. "She looks like Taya.." He said in a low voice.

Maye frowned. "Taya died. A hundred years ago."

"I know!" He snapped. "She just...reminds me of her, that's all."

"No matter how far you go, Shinae, Taya is gone. She's never coming back. That is one thing I can promise you." She said coldly.

Shinae looked down, facing away from her. His eyes glazed with tears that he refused to let fall. "I know." He said simply. He would have cut back at her, but the despairing emotions that had combined to make that impossible lump in his throat prevented his anger from taking the form of words.

Ramiro stepped out of the room. "Dakite is struggling. The girl will not last much longer."

"There must be something..." Shinae said desperately.

"The only way would be to reincarnate her into a newborn. She will lose her body and her memories. Only her soul will remain."

"Do it." Shinae demanded.

"We do not know if she even wishes to live. The choice is hers. But she can hardly move, let alone speak."

Shinae walked into the room where Dakite was leaning over the girl's bloodied body, using her healing magic.

The green feathered healer looked up at him. "I managed to stop the bleeding, but I don't know if I can keep her alive much longer." She stroked the girl's shoulder. "She's lost so much blood..." She whispered.

"Ramiro wants you." Shinae stepped to the girl's side and touched her hand as Dakite left the room. He hadn't used his gift on another being for nearly a hundred years. He hadn't needed to. But now he was breaking his promise, one made years ago after he used it for his own selfish purposes.

And was this not a selfish purpose?

 _No,_ he told himself _, this is for the girl._

He closed his eyes and focused. He had used his gift on himself many a time, to escape and cool down in a place where no one could bother him. Not like he didn't have all of eternity to be alone, but sometimes, like when Maye was scolding him, he could just step out of reality for several hours at a time without her knowing.

The black behind the cover of his eyelids slowly became brighter, like the sun was shining on his face. He opened his eyes.

He was here again, the same place he had been all those years ago with the dying girl he'd loved more than life itself.

Only this time, it wasn't her. It was the gray cat who, without her wounds, closely resembled her. She was no longer mutilated and bloodied. She was herself, or what she would have looked like before the accident. A dark gray fur covered her nude body. Black stripes decorated her back, arms, and legs. Her tail was black, as were her ears, nose, and mouth. Her ears had little white tips on them. Her eyes were closed. She opened them. Soft blue eyes penetrated the walls of his heart.

Angela opened her eyes and looked head on into the fiery crimson orbs that beheld the man who had rescued her. The fur on his body was dark, brilliant red. He was thin, but muscular. Tall. Strong jaw-line. He was a wolf. She realized she was nude, and gasped, trying to cover herself with her arms and tail.

The wolf was nude as well.

"It's alright, I really don't care. I won't hurt you. I'm the one who found you."

"I remember." She said, blushing as she tried not to stare. "Where am I?"

"Technically, you're in a room in the Guardians' castle."

She gave him a confused look. "Guardians?"

"I am a Guardian, part of an organization that built this planet nearly a millenium ago. They built this and the sister planet, Sauria. Some Lylatians who have discovered Sauria refer to it as Dinosaur Planet, for its singular population of dinosaurs..." He sighed. "I'm rambling... My name is Shinae. I became a Guardian a little over a hundred years ago. Yes, I'm actually a hundred and thirty seven, although my body is only twenty-four. I brought you here because...Well, because you remind me of a girl I once loved. Her name was Taya. You wouldn't know her."

"My...great-grandmother's name was Taya..." Angela said timidly.

At this Shinae paused, staring at her. "Describe her to me."

"She looked a lot like me... I saw a picture of her once. She had blue eyes, like me. They said she died in some kind of accident. When I asked, they wouldn't tell me."

"Who?"

"These people... they worked in the DNA office. I just found out a month ago. I wanted to know who I was."

"Accident..." He trailed off. The accident he had caused... it was the reason he swore to himself and to the other Guardians to never use his power again. Yet here he was... He blinked himself back to reality. "Yes... I remember that... She died in a shipwreck above the planet Venom." He looked down. "I was the reason she crashed..."

Angela shifted uncomfortably. "Why am I here?" She asked.

Shinae snapped to attention. "Yes.. of course. I'm sorry. I brought you here, using my power. You are unconscious in reality, bleeding to death. Even Dakite, our medic, can't seem to bring you back to health. She's been working for hours to heal your legs. The only way to save you would be to reincarnate you into someone else's body. A newborn baby, to be precise. But we didn't know whether or not you would want to live."

Angela looked down. Tears came to her eyes.

"Are...you okay?" Shinae asked. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "If the answer is no... I'll understand."

"It's not that...I...I just don't know."

"The choice is yours and yours alone. Do you wish to die?"

"No!" She cried. "I mean... yes. I mean..." She shook her head. "I don't know..."

"Are you afraid?"

"I'm extremely afraid. I don't know what death will be like."

"You don't have to die..."

"But... I don't know that I deserve to live..."

He took her chin in his palm and lifted her face to hold her gaze. "Everyone deserves a second chance. It is your choice. You could live here, with us, and have a special gift of your own that no one in existence has, along with several abilities brought from our power source. You could live forever. Or, if you want, you can start over, as a child on Cerinia. No one would know it was you."

She turned away. "I don't know..."

"Tell me..." He said. "What is one thing, above all else, above all wishes or dreams... if you could have one impossible thing, whether it be a person, place, thing, idea... what is something you want, or have wanted, above anything, that laws of nature tell you you can't have?"

She bit her lip to stop from crying. Two tears defied her and dampened her cheeks. "A family..." She whispered.

"Then that is what you'll have." He said. "You will be reborn to a new family, on Cerinia. One that will help you, care for you, and love you above all else."

She kept her back to him so that he wouldn't see her tears. "Thank you..." She whispered.

"No... thank you."

( **Meanwhile, on the surface of a planet known as Cerinia...** )

Michal paced impatiently outside the door, his orange and white tail swishing back and forth as he walked. He bit his lip, and sweat dampened his orange facial fur.

"Calm down!" Jak, a weasel, and Michal's best friend since childhood, stood lazily against the side of the house. "You're making  _me_  nervous!"

"I'm sorry... I can't help it! What if something goes wrong?"

"Jenai may not be a good athlete but she's the best medic we have. Keila will be fine."

Michal lifted his hand to his face and nibbled on his index fingernail. "What if she-..."

"Quiet!" Jak snapped. "Just relax. The baby will be born soon enough."

A yell of pain came from inside. Michal tensed.

"That's to be expected. You heard Jenai, she said not to come inside until she came out to get you."

"But what if-..."

"No more what ifs! You're giving me a headache!" Jak cried. He held out the bottle of whiskey he routinely carried about. "Take a swig. Calm yourself."

Michal took the small carrier and took two large gulps.

"I said  _a swig_  not the whole damn thing!" Jak said helplessly.

"Sorry..." Michal handed it back.

The door opened. Janai, a dainty silver ferret, stepped out. "It's a girl." She said in her tiny voice. Michal rushed inside and to the side of his young beautiful wife, Keila.

"Are you okay? How was it? Is the baby okay?" He asked in a rushed and breathless voice.

She smiled. "It's a girl." She said, holding out the tiny bundle in navy blue cloth. He carefully lifted the newborn into his arms. She opened her blue eyes and looked up at him from her soft white furry face, smiling a toothless smile.

"She's beautiful..." Michal said softly, looking at the bundle of joy in his embrace. "What should we call her?" He asked.

Keila thought for a moment. "I think... since she is a new life... One who lives. Vivian."

"Vivian?" Michal questioned.

"Yes. We'll call her Vivian."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and Welcome to my story! If you haven't read my previous work, A New Beginning, you probably won't get many of the inside giveaways and explanations, but this story is not dependent on that one, neither is A New Beginning solely supported on this one. However if you read A New Beginning, I recommend this, since it answers all of the insiders and terms and such that weren't explained as well. It is a sort of Prequel, but not necessarily a dependent one. The Guardians will be explained; who they are, where they came from, etc. as will Vivian's importance in the story, Shinae's past, how to pronounce Shinae, (SHEE-nay) and so on.
> 
> If you have any questions or comments, please ask and comment! I'm open to requests and suggestions, and even more so to feedback. I like to know how I'm doing as far as making it understandable for my audience, which is you. If there's something you think I should be doing better, please tell me! :)
> 
> Other than that, my usual blabbing "notes" are now at an end. Enjoy this story as I update. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I revised the beginning of this chapter to include more plot related information. Nothing has really changed, I've just added more in. Enjoy. :)

"Tomas is dying." Maye stood just inside the door, looking at the golden fur on the back of the fox's head. He didn't say anything. "You said he was important. He was supposed to save us from something. What do we do?"

"The girl is still alive." Ramiro replied. "She seems fine, yes?"

"She's growing into a fine young lady, what does that have to do with anything?"

"The others, they are growing fine as well?"

"Yes, but..."

"You saved them. You can save Tomas."

Maye was silent for a moment. "One of the women is pregnant, I think."

Ramiro said nothing.

"I'll get the others, I guess." She turned to leave, but stopped in the doorway. "You know... for our leader, you really don't do much leading. We're working in the dark, here." At his silence, she closed the door with a sigh and went to find Krin.

Krin took the stone and they went to Tomas in his final moments. "We're here to help you." She held out her hand and created a portal to where a young fox was sleeping. Her stomach bulged upwards through her blankets. "We have to do this at exactly the right moment."

Dakite joined them, appearing in a cloud of green mist. "I'll keep him alive as long as I can."

Tomas inhaled a shallow breath. "Thank you," he said in a strained whisper.

Dakite worked her magic, keeping Tomas alive. They stood over him for three days, waiting. Finally, the woman went into labor. Another 12 hours were spent waiting for the right moment.

"Now!" Maye said. Dakite let go of Tomas. He exhaled once, and did not breathe again. His soul manifested above his body, trapped by Dakite herself. She slowly guided it through Krin's portal.

The young vixen looked up in fear. She couldn't see the portal, she only saw a green feathered owl step out of thin air.

"Don't be afraid." Dakite said. "I'm not going to hurt you or the baby." The soul was a swirling white light with streaks of black. She guided it down to the woman's stomach. It dispersed, pulling itself apart and then vanishing. Dakite frowned.

"What was that?" The woman asked.

"A soul for the baby."

"I'm..." She winced as another contraction came on. "I'm having...twins."

Dakite stood and stepped back through the portal. "I didn't think of that. There's two."

"Two what?" Krin asked.

"She's having twins. The soul tore in two as I placed it. I don't know what that means."

"This is the first time that's ever happened. We'll just have to wait and see how things go." Maye said.

It was seven more hours before the twins were delivered. They seemed to be healthy babies. The mother named one Connor, and the other Tony. The Guardians were told to watch the twins carefully, as they would play an important role someday.

( **3 years later** ) **  
**

Vivian sat on the floor, playing with her baby brother Kevin and two other toddlers in the village. She had made them both dolls out of wood, and Keila cut clothes for them out of an old dress with holes in it. One of the other toddlers, a baby fox, snatched the doll out of Kevin's hand. Kevin looked at the doll and then at Vivian, and he began to cry.

Vivian hugged him and handed him her doll. She turned to the little boy who'd taken her brother's doll. "Give it back."

He glared up at her and held the doll to her chest. "No!"

"Give it back, or I'll tell your parents."

"No!"

She pushed him over and yanked the doll out of his stubby little fingers.

"You're a meanie!" He whined. His twin brother giggled. He screamed and pushed over his laughing sibling.

Vivian stuck out her tongue. "Don't mess with my baby brother, or I'll hurt you and take all your toys."

( **Meanwhile** )

Michal kissed his wife gently on the forehead. Both of the kids were out playing with their friends, leaving them with some time alone.

"Michal!" Keila giggled as he kissed her neck.

"What?" He asked innocently, looking up at her from under the sheet.

"No!" She cried, laughing as he planted soft kisses on her breasts. "You know the laws."

"There's a law against me fondling my own wife?" He asked. "That's new."

"The law against having more than two children per family."

"Who said anything about having children?" He asked, disappearing under the blankets again.

She laughed again. "You know very well what I mean!"

"Do I?" He popped his head out of the sheets. "I suppose I do... but that's not going to stop me from loving you tonight."

She sighed with a grin. "Oh, alright." She said in a mock-reluctant voice. "I give in!"

( **Four Months Later...** )

"What if the Council finds out? I can't just stay inside the house for another five months!" Keila whispered harshly.

"They won't. They can't take our children away."

"They are the Council, the great leaders. They can do anything they want."

"They have no right."

"They have every right!" Keila cried.

"Mommy?"

Keila turned to the sweet voice of her young daughter Vivian. "What's wrong sweetie?" She asked.

Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm scared."

Her telepathy kicked in and Keila gasped, drawing her hand to her mouth. "Oh my god..."

"Keila? What is it?" Michal asked.

Keila ignored him, rushing to the side of her six-year-old daughter. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"I don't know..." The young white feline whispered. Keila pulled her into her chest and held her close.

She looked up at Michal. "Something's going on. This isn't right. She has every memory from a twenty-two year old woman."

He focused in on the six year old's mind. "What the... we have to do something."

"Like what? Waltz up to the Council and reveal that I'm pregnant again? They'd kill her!"

"What else can we do? We don't even know what's wrong with her!"

"Nothing's wrong with her!" Keila snapped. "I'm going to put her to sleep and fix it."

She carefully entered Vivian's mind and calmed her. The child was asleep in a matter of seconds. She lay her on the floor and touched her forehead.

"Keila, be careful."

"I know what I'm doing." She said.

"Do you?"

"Yes."

She entered the girl's mind, searching out for the sources of the memories. What she found astounded her. It was an entire life, all of twenty-two years, stored away in this poor girl's mind. The terrifying things that had let lose on her child made Keila tremble. Her heart ached with the dreadful experiences that she saw as she built a box to contain them. When she had finally finish trapping every last cruel, unjust memory, she closed the box tight and stored it in the most hidden corner of her daughter's mind.

When she opened her eyes, she was crying.

Michal was next to her, his hand on her shoulder. Keila leaned into his arms and wept.

( **Three Weeks Have Passed...** )

The troubling knowledge of her own daughter's past tore Keila up inside. She didn't even know how it could have been possible. But it was. The realization that it was real hit her as she stood there, staring in the face the red wolf she had seen in Vivian's memories. He was gorgeous. Sunset red fur covered his body, and his eyes were the color of freshly spilled blood.

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way. If I had known this would happen, I would have done something to prevent it..." He said. His voice was deep and smooth.

"How did it happen?" She asked. Michal was working on the new well with Jak while Vivian and Kevin were out playing with their friends in the village.

"I found her, the old her, lying half dead on an island on the other side of the planet. I rescued her. It was my duty as a Guardian. Our medic couldn't save her."

"I remember seeing her wounds... her legs were nearly gone."

"She was dying. I asked her what she wanted, and she told me she wanted a family. So Ramiro and I sent her soul into the body of the next newborn in the village. That newborn was Vivian. Something must have gone wrong. We've done the procedure three times before and once after. Nothing unusual happened the other times. The memories of their past lives never interfered with the present."

"Once after?"

"Yes. There was a slight complication... when we sent the soul, we hadn't bothered to look and make sure it was one child. The soul was split in two. They were twins. We're still waiting to see how that turns out..."

Keila shook her head. "This is so hard to believe..."

"I know. I'm sorry to have to lay it on you like this."

"It's alright. I'd rather find out now than later. I created a mind block for her, trapping the memories inside. It should be enough to let her live a normal life."

"I'm glad... I don't want her to be hurt." Shine said.

At that moment, Vivian walked in through the front door. "Hi mommy." She said. She froze when she saw Shine. She studied him for a moment, and then she walked to her mother's side and hugged her hips. Keila rested her hand on Vivian's head.

Shine stared at the beautiful little girl who looked up at him with curious eyes. "You don't remember me, do you?" He asked. She shook her head timidly. He smiled, crouching in front of her. "That's alright. You don't have to. We'll meet again, someday. I'll tell you all about it. But not til you're old enough. Okay?"

She hid part way behind Keila, blushing and staring at the red furred stranger. He smiled again and stood. "I must be going before they miss me. Take care of her. I know you will." Shine looked back at Vivian and smiled again as he faded like an unreal apparition. She gasped, running toward him. He kneeled and she grabbed his hand. "I'll come back, I promise." He said.

And then he was gone.

( **Some time later...** )

Vivian and Kevin sat outside in the forest. It was after midnight, but their father had woken them up and told them to go out. Keila had woken up and gone into labor.

The two children were rushed out and into the forest. They sat down next to a tree, hiding in the dead of night, waiting for their dad to return for them.

"What's going on?" Kevin asked, worried. Vivian wrapped her arms around her five-year-old brother.

"It's okay. Mommy's gonna have a baby sister."

"A baby?"

"Yupp. Just like you were. Only a girl. She said she knew it was a girl."

"How could she know? She can't even see her."

"Mommy always knows. Don't worry, it'll be okay." She stroked her brother's orange fur.

He put his head in her lap and looked up at her. "I love you, Vivi." He said.

Vivian smiled. "I love you too, Kevy."

There was a scream not far away. Their mother's scream, coming from the house.

"Stay here!" Vivian told her brother. She carefully got up and then ran toward her home. She hid behind a tree and watched the shadows through the window. The Council guards were in the house.

"You know the rules! No one is allowed to breed more than they can handle. One child per adult. You broke that law. Your child will be put to death."

"No!" Keila cried. "Please! I'll do anything!"

"Put to death, or banished."

"Take my oldest! She can live with my mother on the outskirts! But please don't hurt my children!"

"Where are they?"

"In the forest... please, don't hurt her!" Keila cried.

"You would do best not to resist the law again. The Council may not be so forgiving a second time. As punishment for attacking an officer, your husband will serve three weeks in the temple prison."

Vivian watched as three guards exited the house. Two of them dragged her unconscious father. The other one walked toward her. She gasped and ran back into the forest, searching for her brother.

She found him where she'd left him. "Get up! Hurry. We have to go."

"What's happening?" He asked.

"They're going to take us away if they find us." She took his hand and together they fled into the thick of the forest. The guard wasn't far behind. They ran quickly and quietly through the woods. They knew most of the nearby area well from playing during the day, but it was different at night. Vivian pulled Kevin behind a bush and knelt down to hide.

"Vivi?"

"Sh! It's okay." She clamped her hand over his mouth to quiet him. The guard ran by the bush, continuing on toward the beach. Vivian took Kevin's hand and ran back the way they'd come. She led him to the great Mero tree; it was one of many in the forest, but this particular one had a hollow center. If one could climb to the giant Y at the middle, you could climb down into the perfect hideout. Vivian had discovered it, and her and Kevin had made a perfect little play house within.

But this was no time for play.

The two children scaled the tree. Vivian helped Kevin to climb down into their secret hideout. "Don't make any noise.. stay there until mommy comes." She told him. He nodded. "It's like hide and seek. If they find you, you lose." He nodded, making a zipping motion across his lips.

She climbed off the tree and started running, back toward home. She crept through the door. Keila was crying in the corner, holding her new baby. Vivian stood quietly for a few seconds.

"Mommy?"

Keila gasped, turning around. "Vivian? What are you doing here?"

"I'm scared..."

Her mother stood slowly and came toward her, leaving the newborn baby wrapped on the floor. She hugged her daughter close. "I'm sorry..."

"What's going to happen?"

"They're going to take you to live with your grandmother. I'll come visit you. You won't be able to come back to the village... I'm sorry..."

"What?" Vivian pulled out of the embrace. Fear was in her blue eyes.

"I'm sorry..." More tears spilled down Keila's cheeks. "Everything's going to be okay.. I promise." She knelt in front of Vivian and put her hands on her shoulders. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I love you, more than anything... and everything is going to turn out alright."

At that moment, two guards burst into the house. "That's the child?" One asked.

Keila's face wrinkled in anguish. "Please don't take her!" She cried.

"Come on, let's go." The larger one, a pig, grabbed Vivian roughly by the arm and jerked her away from Keila.

"No! Let me go! Mommy!" She cried.

Keila stood and began to go after her. The other guard held her back. "Now now, let's not be joining your husband in prison."

"Please! Don't take her away!" Keila cried helplessly as the pig dragged Vivian out of the house.

"Mommy!" She screamed. "Mommy!"

The pig dragged her along by her arm, through the village. The inhabitants were all crowded around, having woken up and come out of the house to see what the commotion was about. Vivian screamed and wailed and kicked as she was pulled along forcefully.

Two little boys, twins, two years younger than Kevin, stood by their mother's side and watched wide-eyed as the older girl was paraded like a prisoner. She was a goddess to them; always the tough one, yet she would protect her brother and his friends if anyone but her tried to pick on them. And there she was, held like a helpless infant and being forced to comply as she wailed in protest.

Fed up with her screaming, the pig turn and smacked her in the face with enough force to throw her to the ground. The frightened humiliated little girl didn't move. She lay on the ground, quietly sobbing as her cheek stung from the blow.

"Come on, get up!" The pig cried. He snatched a handful of her long white hair and pulled her to her feet. She opened her mouth in a silent scream of pain as he pulled her through the village by her hair. She didn't dare look up at any one of the judgmental faces that were watching her. She knew what they were thinking. Even at seven-years-old she knew;  _What horrible crime has this girl committed that she should be treated this way?_

There was no doubt that was what they were thinking. She couldn't bear to open her eyes and see the disappointed faces of her friends, each and every one who thought she was the perfect child. She had portrayed perfection for them. In their eyes she could do no wrong. And now that perfect image was shattered. Her life was forever changed.

When she finally dared to open her eyes, it was because the pig had stopped dragging her to knock on a door. The door opened. A snow white elderly cat stood in the doorway with light from a fire pouring out into the dark night.

"Who is it? What do you want?" The old woman asked, despite knowing the answers to these questions already. She was blind, but her telepathy served as her sight. She was the most powerful telepath in the village. The Council had deemed her mentally unstable and banished her to the outskirts, but the true reason for her rumored mental illness was her outspoken nature. She had revealed an affair in the high ranking of the Council. The accused, in his furiousness, claimed her mentally ill and had her beaten within an inch of her life to drive out the 'illness.' She still hung to her claim, and he banished her. When she finally recovered from her beating, she was blind. Her eyesight never returned, and she learned to rely on her immensely powerful telepathy.

The pig let go of the terrorized little girl and pushed her toward the woman. She held out her arms and caught the child.

"What is this blasphemy? You cowardly thieves!" She cried. "This family never did anything to hurt you. Keila is perfectly capable of-..."

"Silence! Before I give you a real reason to complain."

Marie glared at the man with her hollow gray eyes. He shuddered and went back the way he'd come. Marie tenderly led Vivian inside.

"Come, dear. I'll make you some hot cocoa. Do you like cocoa? Of course you do. Sit down at the table. The chair at the right. It'll be ready in a few minutes. Make yourself at home, love. You're gonna be here for a while, might as well get used to it. I'm Marie. I'm your mother's mother. You can call me Grandma, or Marie. I don't mind either way, but I'll answer faster to Marie. If you need anything tell me. The bathroom is down that hall on the left. Last door. I have telepathy, dear. Don't be frightened. I use it to see and to know what people wish."

Vivian stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

"If you're going to cry, the bedroom on the right has a nice comfy pillow waiting for you on the bed."

The young girl bit her lip. One question floated to the top of her mind.

Marie paused in the midst of her constant flowing rush. She walked calmly to Vivian and knelt, looking her right in the eye. "I'm sorry about what happened to your mother. I know it's hard. And it's not gonna be easy. But what matters is that she loves you. She'll come see you as soon as she can. And it'll be okay. Nothing bad is going to happen to you while I'm here. I love you, Vivian. Everything is going to be alright. I promise."

Vivian held her composure for another two seconds, and then she cried.


	3. Chapter 3

Vivian cautiously snuck out the back window. Marie was asleep; she wouldn't know for at least a little while. She had been living as an outcast for nearly three years, and as far as she knew, Marie didn't know. She was learning to control her thoughts, and keep her mind clear of incriminating evidence. At age ten, she was smarter than a lot of people twice her age.

She ran down the path to the village and hid at the edge behind a tree. There was a fine line between the village and the forest, and she was just on the other side. As long as she didn't flat out enter the village, she wasn't breaking any rules, and they couldn't punish her.

Layra, one of her best friends, was sitting outside her house, playing with a stick in the dirt.

"Pst!" Vivian whispered.

Layra looked up. She scanned the row of trees, and finally spotted a patch of white fur and the two blue eyes that peered out at her. She smiled and stood up. "Vivian!" She said happily. She stood up and walked to the edge. Vivian stood up from behind the bush that hid her.

"Come out to the forest with me!" Vivian said.

"I can't! I'll get in trouble." Layra protested.

"No one's gonna know. C'mon!" Vivian took her friends hand and pulled her to the other side. Layra flinched as if she had just set foot on burning coals. "It's not gonna kill you, see? C'mon!" She pulled her through the forest to her favorite Mero tree, the one with the hollowed out center.

"The tree house! I haven't been here in ages!" Layra cried. It was true; ever since Vivian's banishment, none of the kids had dared set foot inside without her.

"Well, it's about time then." Vivian said.

She climbed the tree using the niches they had made when they first discovered it. A young fox was sitting atop, smirking down at them. Vivian glared at him. "Get off my tree, Tony." She snapped.

"Make me." He said. She climbed the rest of the way up and pushed him off.

"No problem."

He landed flat on his rear with a gasp. He scowled at her. "You bitch."

She smirked. "What'cha gon' do 'bout it?" She taunted.

Layra stood timidly snickering at the bottom of the tree. The boy got up and pushed her.

Vivian frowned as her friend stumbled to the ground. "Don't make me go down there. I don't care if you're little, I'll still beat you up." She threatened.

"Na, na, na na na!" He taunted.

Layra got up, and he pushed her again.

Vivian jumped off the tree, landing on her feet. "What did I  _just_  say?" She said angrily.

He smirked at her. "What are you gonna do about it?"

She pushed him to the floor. "I don't want to beat up a little kid, but you're really pissing me off." She said.

"Haha, you're scared!" He said, getting up and making a face.

She pushed him on the ground again. "I'm not scared of anything."

"You're a scaredy cat. Scaredy cat!"

She pinned him to the floor and sat on him, holding his hand above his head. "And just what am I scared of?  _You_? You're nothing but a pesky little brat who's gonna get a beating." His face contorted into fear. She stood up and let him go as he cried for help. "That's right, run you little oaf! Come back when you're big enough to put up a real fight!"

Layra looked down.

"You okay?" Vivian asked.

"Sure..."

"Don't worry about him. He picks on you again, tell me." She smiled. "C'mon. I'll bet we can fix up the hideout pretty fast and make it all pretty like it used to be."

Layra smiled. "Thanks Vivian. You're the best." She hugged her.

Vivian smiled. "I know." The two girls climbed up the tree and slid inside its massive center. "I'll bet we could make an underground tunnel that could fit a whole storage of things." Vivian said. "And then we could hide here for days and no one would know where we are. We could store food and stuff." She opened the cover of a face-sized knot hole in the tree used for spying or communicating to the outside. "Let's start digging and throw the dirt out here. I'll dig, and you stand guard and help me get the dirt out." She said.

Layra grinned. "Okay!" She stood and peered through the hole as Vivian started digging in the dirt floor below the bottom of the tree. As the loose dirt piled up, Layra scooped it up and dumped it out the hole.

Soon there was a good two feet of extra space below.

"Sh! Someone's coming!" Layra cried in a whisper.

They both ducked into the tree.

"They're in there." A boys voice said. There was the sound of someone scuffling up the tree. The two girls curled into the shadows.

A man's face appeared at the top of the tree. "Get out." He demanded. Layra stood up with tears in her eyes and he pulled her out by her arm. "Get out!" He shouted at the white bundle.

"There's no one else in there." Layra lied.

"Then what's that?" He asked.

"That's...my...blanket... I folded it up because I didn't need it."

"She's lying." Tony said without missing a beat.

The man looked at his son with a skeptical glance.

"There's another girl in there. She's the one who hit me." He said.

"You have three seconds to get out of there before I uproot this tree and  _make_  you get out." The man threatened.

Vivian slowly stood up. She climbed out, glaring at Tony all the while.  _I'll get him for this..._  She thought.

He smirked at her.

His father dragged the two girls to the village Council. "These two were found playing out in the forest. They dragged my son with them, and were threatening to beat him."

Jad, the head of the Council, frowned steadily at Vivian. She avoided his eyes. "Twenty lashes for the two of them."

Vivian's eyes widened. "No!" She cried. "Layra didn't do anything wrong. It was my fault. Please, don't whip her!"

Jad raised a brow. "Would you prefer to take the price for her disobedience on yourself?" He asked.

Vivian hesitated. She looked at her best friend's frail, delicate frame. "Yes. I would." She said.

"Very well. Guards!"

Two burly, armored swine stood from their post in the corner of the tent and stepped forward. "This outcast was causing trouble in our village. Pay her forty lashes. The other one is to go directly home, and her parents notified."

One guard took Layra by the arm and led her out. "Vivian!" She cried.

"She is to be punished in the central platform, to set an example for any other infidel."

The guard nodded.

"Tie her to the center pole and wait for my signal."

Vivian was dragged outsid ne and down the path to the dead center of the village. The people who were outside watched her curiously. The guard tied her hands together and then tied them above her head on a pole. She leaned her forehead against the smooth wood and closed her eyes.

She listened to the sound of the people muttering as they gathered around to watch. She listened to the sound of Jad's sandals on the wood floor of the platform they'd built for public beatings, executions, announcements, and meetings.

"Bare her back." He commanded.

The guard grabbed the back of her loose shirt and ripped it clean off. She grimaced. The shame of bearing her nearly flat chest in front of the entire village was almost worse than being whipped.

The guard unravelled the whip and swung it back and forth to make a show of it and loosen the leather.

"Forty lashes." Jad reminded.

A woman in the audience gasped in horror. Vivian knew without having to open her eyes that the woman was her mother.

The whip came down on her with a crack. Her skin stung. It came down again, and again, and again... She didn't flinch. She didn't scream. She stood stoically, counting the lashes in her mind. The end of the whip was not sharp, and it didn't cut her skin at first. Eventually her entire back was hot and numb. She could barely feel it by the time the pig reached twenty.

"Stop." Said Jad. "Use this one."

A sharp pain stung her side. She gasped, unprepared for the sting of the sharp tip of the new whip. And this time, the guard made no attempt to aim properly. He lashed at her arms, her ribs, her legs...

Finally, she counted forty. The guard stopped.

"Did I tell you to stop?" Jad asked.

The guard paused. "But, sir..."

"Keep going."

When the guard waited longer, Jad stood, took the whip from his hands, and lashed out at the innocent girl before him.

"All you have to do to end it is scream." He said in a low voice so that only she heard him. He swung again.

She remained silent, head down, eyes squinted shut against the pain. A single tear escaped. He lashed out again and again in fury. Vivian clenched her jaw. She refused to give in.

"Stop it!" A voice cried from below. "You've had your fill of bloodlust. Let her go!" Keila cried.

Jad turned to her and glared. "That would be coming from the child's own mother." He spat. "Come here."

Keila hesitated, staring at the bloodied child strapped to the pole.

"Do you disobey my orders as well? Come here."

Keila slowly stepped up the stairs to the tall platform.

Jad handed her the whip. "Lash her. Ten times."

Tears filled her eyes.

"Ten times, or I will restrain you and lash her forty more myself."

Keila turned to her daughter, her hand hanging limp at her side.

"Lash her! Now!" He bellowed.

Keila cringed. She closed her eyes and swung lightly. A soft whimper emanated from the post. Keila's heart tore into a million pieces.  _Please God, give me strength..._

"Would you like me to do it for you?" Jad asked.

She slowly shook her head.

"Then obey me!"

Tears streamed down Keila's face as she drew back her arm and swung. "Two..." She swung again, begging the whip to land softly. "Three..." Her body trembled. "Four..." The emotions that coursed through her chest threatened to rip her to shreds. "Five..." Her vision blurred from the tears. "Six..."

"Seven..."

A light went off in the back of Vivian's mind. She didn't know who had shined the full force of the sun on her face... or maybe she was finally dying and leaving the awful post behind. Something had changed between the second her mother swung the whip for the seventh time and when the tip hit her flesh. The world was so bright... she couldn't see. And then she could. She saw it clearly... only it wasn't her world. It wasn't  _her_.

"Angela...I'm sorry. Your parents are dead. They died several years before you went into the foster home."

_Who is Angela? ...where am I?_

"I understand... I expected as much. I just wanted to know for sure."

_That's...my voice...I sound old! But... that's not me. I'm not Angela... and my parents are alive._

"Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, that's it. Thank you."

The room was so flat, so perfect... every corner perfectly shaped to make a square. The walls were smooth and white. The door was shaped and fitted into its hole perfectly. The girl, who was both Angela and Vivian, walked out of the room and down a perfect hallway to a box with open doors.

_Where am I going? ...what happened?_

The doors slid closed, enclosing her inside. The box lurched and began to fall, but she wasn't afraid.

She walked out a glass door that was perfectly clear and shiny, into a perfectly geometrical world. There was a large, strange shaped shiny object floating a few feet away. Angela reached out and pulled a handle, and a little door swung open. It was hollow, and there were seats inside.

This was a car. She knew that. Or did she?

No. It was the other girl's memories, not hers. This was a car, a way of transportation, and the strange world was called a city.

"Take me to the space station." Angela said. It was the first time Vivian realized she was speaking a foreign language; yet she understood it perfectly.

She looked wistfully out the car window as the streets and buildings rushed by. She was leaving this world, forever.

She was going to run away.

THWACK!

The pain brought her out of her momentary lapse.

THWACK!

She felt her consciousness slipping.  _Stop...please stop._

THWACK!

This time she screamed. It was a bloodcurdling scream of agony that pierced the hearts of the villagers as easily as it cut through the near silence that had been.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as the guard untied her. A look of pity was set on his filthy face as she fell limp onto the ground. Keila rushed to her daughter's side, weeping. The girl was unconscious.

"Take her back to the old hag up the hill." Jad turned and faced the crowd. "And let this be an example. Anyone caught fraternizing with infidels will not be treated so kindly."

Keila remained in a heap in the center of the wooden platform, sobbing as the guard carried Vivian's unconscious bloodied body away, over his shoulder as if she were a sack of food.

The crowd dissipated with a solemn air. The only sound that was heard was that of a mother's wail, mourning her child's pain.


	4. Chapter 4

Vivian awoke in her room. She was back at Marie's.  _Maybe it was just a dream..._  She thought. She tried to sit up and was met with severe pain in her back. She opened her mouth in a silent scream and laid back down. Tears formed in her eyes. Her own mother had whipped her...

The room was suddenly very bright. She closed her eyes... when she opened them, she was in another world.

It was a city, maybe the same one she had seen the first time. But it was different...

It was dirty. Filthy, even. She was sitting behind a dumpster, crying. The older kids she had walked by had been teasing her and pushing her around, so she ran, but they chased her. Her stomach ached with hunger. She was young, younger than Vivian. She didn't even know the day or year, let alone her own age. She knew her name... Angela Star. Her parents were gone. They had dropped her off on her own at the door of an orphanage with a note containing her name and forty dollars, and Angela was on her own. They had sent her into the foster system, but her foster parents were cold hearted and strict. She had run away two weeks ago. Now she was struggling for food and water. Sleeping was done whenever she could find a place where she was alone.

Today, she was hiding from the violent kids who had chased her five blocks before she darted down the alley and evaded them. She had accidentally run into a tall boy in her rush, and she hadn't bothered to say sorry.

She heard footsteps at the entrance to the alley. The boy's head peered around the trash can, and his green eyes smiled at her from his orange fur. "Hey, what were you running from?" The fox asked. He looked about twelve or thirteen.

She cringed back into the corner and began to cry, hiding her teary eyes behind her knees and her arms.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you... my name's James, but you can call me Jamie. What's your name?"

She slowly looked up at him without saying a word.

"Were you running from those guys who ran by a minute ago?"

She nodded.

"C'mon. I'll take you to my place. It'll be okay." He held out his hand. She flinched away from it. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

Her ears perked up, and her eyes got big.

"My mom's making dinner pretty soon. I bet I can tell her to make some extra." He smiled. She stared at his outstretched arm, and slowly began to reach out. James took her hand and helped her up. She smiled a little. He led her down the street a few blocks to a nice looking area, where there was grass and trees beside the sidewalk.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Angela..." She said timidly.

"Can I call you Angie?" She smiled a bit and nodded.

They walked down the street to a cute little light blue house with a picket fence. He led her up the steps and through the door.

"Jamie? Is that you?"

"Yes, mom. I'm back." He turned to Angie. "Come on. Let's go say hi to her."

"Jamie?" The woman's voice asked. "Who are you talking to?" She entered the room from the kitchen and stopped short. "Who is this?"

"This is... my friend. Some kids were picking on her. She's really hungry, can she stay for dinner?" James asked.

His mother sighed, staring at the filthy, dirty little feline. She vaguely resembled James, but she was much more feminine and very beautiful. She had large pointy ears and a small button nose. Her golden colored hair hung almost to her waist. She had kind green eyes, like James. She put her hands on her hips and her fluffy orange tail swung to the side. "Alright... and after dinner, I'm giving her a bath. Poor little thing... looks like she hasn't washed in days."

Vivian blinked. She was back in her room.  _What...what happened?_  She thought.  _It's happened twice now... but I'm not Angela. And who's James?_ She winced as she tried to move. There were bandages all over her body. It would take weeks for her to heal.

In the meantime she'd have plenty of time to think, and to remember...

"She doesn't have any family, John."

"Well, we can't just hide her. If you're really ready to adopt her, we should go to the city and claim her legally."

Angela's heart soared. She loved staying with James and his family. He was like her older protective brother, and as long as she was with him, she felt safe. She had been staying with them for almost a month. They gave her James' old bed that he'd grown out of. She was four years younger than him, and much much smaller due to malnutrition. They fed her well and were talking about enrolling her in James' school.

James' mother drove, and the entire family rode along to the office downtown. After a long wait, they were able to speak to someone about adopting Angie. A thin

"I'm sorry, Mrs. McCloud. The child you're looking after is a runaway. She's already legally under the care of another family."

"Clearly they're not doing a very good job caring for her. We found her on the streets."

"Unless they sign over custody, she has to go back to them." The woman said. "Legally I have to report that she's found."

"Can I talk to them? I'd like to ask them to sign over custody."

"It's up to them."

They waited impatiently for Angie's foster family to arrive. After three hours, a couple walked in. The woman was dressed in something that looked like it came from another universe. It was a hideous shade of pink and had black and green spots on it. She wore large glasses that barely fit on her tiny meerkat nose. Her mate, presumably her husband, was an overweight rat who'd attempted to squeeze himself into a white button down and a blazer that were both two or three sizes too small for him, as if he'd bought them and then grew out of them, but kept them with the intention of fitting into them again. The pants were too lose, indicating he gave up on the original pants and bought new ones.

"Are you Angie's parents?" James' mother stood up and offered her hand. "I'm Julia."

"Thank you for bringing her back." The woman's voice was nasally and grated on everyone's ears.

"Actually, we'd like to talk with you about adopting Angie ourselves."

"Excuse me?"

"We want you to sign a custody agreement that allows her to be our child."

The meerkat and the rat looked at each other and then started laughing. "You must be joking."

"Not in the slightest."

"Angela, get in the car we're leaving."

"Miss, with all due respect, you don't seem the type of people who need the burden of a child." Julia stood up, trying desperately to politely fight with them.

"This is ridiculous, we're not giving you  _our_  child. You have your own."

Angie's face contorted as she tried not to cry. "Don't let them take me," she whispered to James. He grabbed her hand tightly.

"She wants to stay with us. If you won't let us adopt her at least let her stay with us part of the time." He said.

"You're complete strangers and you expect me to trust you with my kid? You must be nuts. Angela, the car is leaving."

The rat walked over and took Angie's hand. She looked over at James with wide, panic-stricken eyes. The rat pulled her off the bench and began to pull her towards the door. She pulled away with all her might, holding onto James' hand.

Even together, they weren't strong enough to keep the hold. Angie's feet slid across the tiles as she was dragged against her will towards the door. Julia stood helplessly, a look of pity on her face.

"Jamie!"

"Angie!"

The door slammed shut, sealing her fate.

( **Three Years Later** )

Vivian woke in her bed and looked around the well-lit room. The orange tint of the sun was gone, and there was a gray tint to replace it. That could only mean rain. At fourteen, she had come to terms with the fact that she had lived an entire life on a different world. In three years, she had relived most of the memories of a twenty-two year old cat named Angela. She wasn't sure if Angela had died at twenty two, or if perhaps she simply hadn't seen anything beyond that yet. Either way, she was getting used to the flashbacks that happened several times a day.

It was almost addicting to sit alone and disappear into another reality, no matter how painful it was. She had been abandoned as a young child when her parents died in a freak accident. The bridge they were driving across blew up, and they fell off the middle with 324 other civilians and drowned.

From there, she ran away from the CPS and scrounged for food and water. She once met a young boy named James McCloud, who offered her food several times a week until his mother let it slip that she was feeding a "street urchin." The CPS took her to a foster home, where she was abused until she ran away at thirteen.

The happenings between her age of thirteen and her memory of running away from the world at twenty-two were scarce. She had one memory of being eighteen and hiding in a dumpster while the cops passed her by, and that was it.

She sat up and stretched, and then it happened again.

She was standing on a dark street corner, waiting for the bus.

 _How old am I?_  She thought. Seventeen. She was seventeen years old.

Her stomach was empty, she was skin and bones, her lips were chapped, and her clothes were filthy and torn. After almost ten years back in the foster system, skipping from home to home, she ran away again. It had been a month this time. Her small savings account was gone. She had gotten one credit from a kind stranger; just enough to ride the bus across town. She looked out across the avenue at the many cars rushing by. Above and to her right was a huge billboard with a picture of an old friend she had once known.

"James McCloud, Savior of Lylat"

She grimaced. Her stomach growled again and she moved her arm over her waist as if to fill the empty spot.

A decent looking wolf passed by.

"Excuse me, sir... do you have any spare change, or something to eat?" She asked weakly.

He stopped and looked at her with curious green eyes. "You're hungry?" He asked.

She nodded slowly.

"Come with me."

She followed him to a parking garage and got into his car with him.

"Are you willing to work for food?" He asked. She hesitated, and then nodded. "Do you have a place to sleep?" She shook her head. "I'll keep you at my house and feed you." He said. He started the car and drove off. There was something off about him... but he was offering her food and stay, and she couldn't afford to turn him down.

They arrived at a tall building. He led her into the elevator and pressed the button for the 26th floor. He unlocked his door and led her inside, locking and bolting the door behind him. Angela looked around the room. Something was definitely off...

It was spotless, as if the maid had just spent days scrubbing everything multiple times. The house smelled of bleach. There were hardwood floors with several layers of wax, and the walls were white and glossy.

"Make yourself at home." He said. His voice was smooth and alluring. He was clean cut. Everything about him looked as if he had spent hours making it perfect. He was heavyset, maybe 6'3" with a considerable set of muscles and a small amount of bulk around his middle. "What's your name?" He asked.

She hesitated. "Angie..."

"I'm Richard." He smiled at her. "Your clothes are filthy. You should change." He opened his closet and took out a silk nightgown. "Here. Put this on. I'd love to see you in it." He said. She paused. "I'll start up dinner in a minute. I just want to see how it looks on you."

He handed her the nightgown and left the room. She closed the door and stripped off her grimy, smelly clothes.  _I hate to soil it, it's so beautiful..._  She thought, carefully slipping into the gown. She stepped in front of the mirror and admired herself for a moment. The slip was two sizes too big for her bony frame, and partially transparent. But the silvery-beige color accented her gray and black fur beautifully.

The bedroom door opened and the man walked in. She instinctively cringed and covered her breasts with her arms.

"It's all right. Dinner's ready." She followed him timidly to a small dining table that overlooked the city. She gasped softly. It was gorgeous.

The table had a plate of steak, mashed potatoes and green beans. Angie tore into it like she had never seen food before.

"Would you like more?" He asked.

She nodded vigorously.

He filled her plate with more mashed potatoes and sat back down, staring absently out the window and twitching his thumbs.

_I need to get out of here..._

Angie barely finished the second plate. She sighed in a satisfaction she had not felt in a long while... the satisfaction of being well fed.

"You're finished?" He asked.

She nodded. "Thank you..."

"No need to thank me, dear. It wasn't a favor. Did you think you were eating for free?" He stood up with a look in his eye that made her spine tingle. He smiled. "Come with me."

**(Trigger Warning: Rape)**

She hesitated. He took her gently by the arm and led her into his bedroom. He closed and locked the door and unbuttoned his shirt. And suddenly, she knew. She had to get out.

She darted for the door but he beat her there. "No no! You're not leaving just yet."

Tears formed in her eyes. "Please...please don't hurt me."

He chuckled darkly. "It'll only hurt a little." He said. She backed into the corner, sobbing softly.

He grabbed her arms and forced his tongue into her mouth. She grimaced and jerked her head away, resulting in a hard slap. He grabbed her by the waist and tossed her onto his bead like a rag doll. She screamed and scrambled off the edge, but he was too fast for her. He grabbed her ankles and drug her back up. She screamed and struggled and kicked and sobbed. He pinned her down and forced her legs apart.

"Please!" She cried.

"Hush...hush..." He whisper in her ear. She was quiet for a moment, as he didn't move.

 _Maybe he'll let me go..._  She thought.

The next second, a sharp pain emanated through her lower abdomen. She grimaced and threw back her head. She could not catch the breath to scream. The most she could muster was a fearful whimper as he robbed her of the last of her innocence. He moaned loudly in pleasure as she cried silently in pain and shame.

When he was done, he lay still for a few moments. She wriggled out from beneath him and limped to the door. There was blood where she had been and more on her legs. Tears in her eyes, she unlocked the bedroom door with trembling fingers.

Two rough arms grabbed her from behind, and she was thrown back onto the bed. She curled up and sobbed as he came toward her again. She didn't have the strength to resist as he entered her a second time. When it was over, he bound her hands behind her back and dragged her to the closet. He closed the door and left her in the pitch black.

Vivian gasped in horror. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She could feel the pain in her stomach where he had defiled her. It was too much for her innocent mind to take in all at once. She rolled over in her bed and sobbed for several minutes.

The familiar white flash returned.

She was in the closet. It was pitch black.

It had been three weeks since she had been taken in and held against her will. And today...

Today, she was getting out.

Richard had been drunk the night before, and he hadn't tied her wrists very well. She had spent all of five minutes undoing her bonds. The rest of the night was spent finding out her surroundings. She was in the closet. There was a clothes rack to her left and to her right. And a two foot bar at the far end.

She had worked long and hard to rotate it until the screws came right out of the wall.

Light was pouring through the bottom of the door. It was morning. She sat down, holding the bar, and waiting. She could hear every little noise that went on.

She heard him yawn and stretch, and his feet hit the ground. He got slowly up and passed the closet into the bathroom, where he threw up three times. Then he stood up and walked back to the closet. He stopped, and she stood up.

The door opened and light flooded it. Angie leapt forward with a furious battle cry, smashing the end of the bar into his skull. He stumbled backward without so much as a scream of shock. She stepped to him and swung again and again with continuous strength. Tears streamed down her face, and she could scarcely see. She hit him, again and again and again until she couldn't swing her arms anymore, and then she balanced herself against the wall and kicked him.

All the while, he hadn't uttered a sound. Her leg gave out and she stumbled backward into the door. She pushed it closed and sank to the ground, sobbing. She wiped her tears and looked over at the bloody mess that had been Richard.

Her tears ceased. She stood up calmly and walked into the bathroom to wash the blood and other fluids out of her fur. She scrubbed until her coat was silky and soft. Then she dressed herself in a t-shirt and boxers that she found in his dresser. She had gained some weight since he had been feeding her.

The idea of staying in a house with a dead man was sinister. She checked his pockets and dresser drawers and nightstand for anything valuable. A gold watch was all she found. Then she closed the door and went to the kitchen. She made herself some food and ate it. Then she took his wallet and keys and left. If she was lucky, she could return and clean out his cupboards.

Vivian turned over and looked up. Tears were still in her eyes from the shocking experience of rape. Not once, not twice, but a total of forty-one times, he raped her. Once in the morning, once in the evening, every day for almost three weeks. She stood weakly and rubbed her eyes. It wouldn't do to have Marie prodding her mind...

She walked across the room. The pain was gone.

She went into the dining room. There was a note on the table from Marie.

"Gone for food. Veggies on the counter. Please cut for stew later. Love you."

She sighed, walking to the cutting board.  _At least it will keep my mind off of it..._  She thought. She was wrong.

Her mind did not stay off it. On the contrary, it was the only think she could think of.  _All of this.. the flashbacks.. the other life... it all started with her. Every last bit..._  She dwelled on this thought until she was sure it was true. The pain in her chest was overwhelming. Tears blurred her vision until she could no longer see the carrot she was cutting. Clenching her fists, she stormed out the door.

She marched right through the village, not caring that people were staring and mumbling. As long as she looked like she knew exactly what the hell she was doing, no one would ask questions. She marched right through to Keila's house and pounded on the door.

The frightened looking woman opened it immediately, staring in horror at her daughter. "Vivian... I..." Tears came to her eyes. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her. "Come with me." She took her hand and led her behind the house, close to the forest. "I'm sorry... I didn't know that-"

"Didn't know what?" Vivian snapped. "That I lived an entire other life on another planet?"

Keila shook her head. "I knew... your first flashback came when you were seven... I tried to stop it. I tried to bury the memories...But-"

"But what? But I'm fourteen and I just saw myself..." Tears came to her eyes. "You don't understand what it was like..."

Keila embraced her daughter. "I'm so sorry... It won't ever happen again, I swear."

"You couldn't stop it this time!" Vivian screamed, shoving her away. A slight pull prevented her right hand from pulling back with her. She looked down in shock at the knife handle, planted in her mother's breast. With a gasp of horror, she pulled it free.

Blood flowed from the wound, covering Keila's hands and clothes. She stared at Vivian, not with resentment, but with a great sorrow.

Vivian could only stand in absolute shock as her mother collapsed to the ground in seemingly slow motion with a series of thuds. She dropped the knife. It landed with a soft thump in the leaves. The cool autumn breeze swept through with a chill as the girl stared, hypnotized by the growing red splotch on the ground.

Three times she mouthed the word "mom" but no sound escaped.

"Vivian... I'm sorry...I...love you..."

"Mo-...mo-..." She struggled. She couldn't breathe... she couldn't move. She could only stare at the carnage on the ground.  _What have I done?_

"I forgive you...It's not your fault." Keila whispered, tears in her eyes.

Michal came rushing around the corner in a blind panic. "Keila! Keila!" He cried hoarsely. Vivian stood like a statue, eyes glued to her mother. "What have you done!" Michal screamed. "You devil child! Get out of my sight. Get out of my sight! You are no longer my daughter. I don't ever want to see your face again!" He screamed.

Vivian sobbed. "Mommy..." She mumbled.

"Get out! Get out of here! Now you little cunt!" He shouted, kneeling by his wife's body.

Vivian stumbled backwards, dazed. She fled into the forest, stumbling and crying and trembling all over. She walked through the woods in a thick fog that infested her mind and faltered her thoughts. She walked and walked, stumbling to avoid trees and rocks and other obstacles.

Past the old treehouse, past the tree with the crooked stub, past everything familiar to her. Still she continued on. Her mind had shut down. Her body was numb. She crashed into a tree branch. The pain in her shoulder was obsolete in the fog.

It was a while before she realized that the fog had spread from her mind to the forest. Even then, she didn't care. She would go to the ends of the earth to escape the events that had just taken place. She had just killed Keila.

 _You're sick. You're a murderer... you killed your own mother. Even your father called you a cunt. He was right. You're nothing but a little demonic whore._  She ate up the words the voice in her head was telling her.

_I killed her... my own mother..._

She tripped on a tree root and landed on her face. Turning her head sideways so she could breathe, she began to sob. She wailed loudly in mourning. The only thing she had ever wanted was her mother, and she was the one who had just taken her away forever.


	5. Chapter 5

Vivian lay in the forest, face in the dirt, beyond the point of crying. She had been there for a while now. Her chest shook every few minutes, as if she would start up again, but the tears had ceased. She couldn't bring herself to move off the ground.

Footsteps came towards her. She looked up to see a TreeClinger. Its yellow eyes looked right into hers. A growl from behind her sent the TreeClinger running. She recognized the growl, and it raised the first emotion she'd felt in over an hour; fear. GroundFlyers were known for their viciousness. They often chased away TreeClingers from their prey, sometimes even hunting them. Even if she managed to pull herself to her feet, she wouldn't make it far.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. At her point of emotional pain, she welcomed death.

The footsteps suddenly scurried away. A warm hand touched her shoulder. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

She turned her head slightly and looked up at the intruder. His crimson fur emanated soft red light. He reached out his hand to help her up. Tears that she didn't know still existed filled her eyes. She felt safe with him. He seemed familiar, but she didn't care to think about it.

"Come on... let's get you cleaned up." He lifted her up into his strong arms.

"Who are you?" She asked softly.

"My name is Shinae. I'm a Guardian."

"I... I remember you."

"Shh...you're safe now. I'll take care of you."

Tears welled up in her eyes again. "I... I killed her..."

"I know."

"They're going to kill me..."

"No, I won't let that happen."

He carried her through the woods to her grandmother's house, and then set her down outside. "Don't move. You're in shock."

He entered the house. Marie was weeping at her table. She looked up. "Who's there? Vivian?"

Shinae didn't reply. Her telepathy couldn't sense him, so she couldn't see him. He took some food and the blankets and pillows from Vivian's bed.

"Vivian, is it true? Did you... kill her?"

Shinae sighed. "It was an accident. Vivian didn't know what she was doing."

Marie gasped. "Who are you? I can't see you."

"I'm a Guardian. I'm here to protect Vivian. I'm taking her away. They're going to come for her. When they do, you tell them she's gone, and you haven't seen her. You've already lost a daughter today. Don't lose your granddaughter as well."

"Here... take this." Marie opened a drawer and dumped out the contents, then removed the bottom. Beneath the fake board was a sharp knife. "I'm an old woman... I don't have as much life as she has left. Give it to her. Keep her protected for me."

Shinae took the knife. "I'll give it to her when she's ready for it. For now, I'll be protecting her."

"Thank you."

Vivian was still lying on the ground when he went outside. He sighed, lifting her up again. Her small body fell limp in his arms. He teleported with her, up into the clouds, and set her down again. Her eyes were open, but blank. Her breath was shallow, and she made no move to resist anything he did.

He pressed his fingers to her temples and entered her mind. What he found was chaos. Both her life and Angela's life were mixing themselves together, tangling her memories. He carefully pulled them apart and began putting Angela's memories away again. He built a box in her mind, but left a door so that if the memories were to break free, Vivian could hide them away herself.

With the help of the Guardian Talia, who had discovered she could mold matter, he built her a small house in a tree in the forest. He left the food and supplies there, and kissed her on the forehead before he left.

"You'll be okay... I'll protect you. I promise."

( **A few years later...** )

"We can use this to save him!"

"Stop it! Give...it...back!"

"Ow!"

"Oof!"

Talia gasped as the blue stone flew out of her hands and off the ledge. She turned to Takkah, the newest Guardian, with a wide-eyed stare of horror. Takkah's black ears perked as he leaned over the edge, trying to see where the stone had landed.

"Shit."

"How are we going to tell the others?" Talia asked.

"We're not. We're going to find it. Let's go."

( **Meanwhile...** )

Twelve-year-old Krystal crouched tentatively at the edge of the forest, surveying the darkness beyond that fine line that defined the village limits. It had long been known throughout that anyone besides the village hunters who ventured into the forest would be eaten alive by terrible creatures.

She did not believe it, even if every other villager did.

There was something out there... but it was not something that was going to eat her. It was calling her to come...

"Psst!"

Krystal started at the noise. She turned and caught sight of her friend Tony. Or was it Connor? She never could tell the twin boys apart when they were alone, despite them having a slightly different eye color.

"What're you doing here?" She whispered.

"I could ask you the same thing."

Tony. Definitely Tony. He was always a little more rude than Connor.

"I live right there. I can be here if I want." Krystal said, keeping her voice low so as not to alert her father to her presence near the forest.

"But this is right by the forest. No one's allowed in the forest."

"I'm not IN the forest. I'm here."

He shrugged. "Whatever you say." He walked up and stood next to her. "Why are you so obsessed with the forest, anyway?"

"I don't know... It's calling me. I feel it... there's something out there. I know it."

"Yea, something that wants to eat you."

"No... it's not like that. It's like...I don't know. It's like it needs me for something."

"For dinner, maybe."

Krystal scoffed. "Shut up. You don't know anything."

"I'm three years older than you. I know more than you. Ha, ha." He taunted.

"Age doesn't mean anything. I know something's there. And one day I'm gonna find out what it is."

"Krystal!" Her father's voice called. "Krystal, where are you!" She bolted toward the house, leaving Tony without saying goodbye.

"Here I am!" She called.

 _Thank the Guardians..._  Michal thought as his daughter came running around the side of the house. "Where were you?"

"I was out back."

"Stay away from the forest." He demanded.  _I won't lose you to her the way I lost Keila..._

"Okay, Daddy." Krystal replied.

"I have some chores for you to do. I left a list on the counter. I'll be in my work shed if you need me."

"Okay, Daddy."

A few hours later, after completing her father's list of chores, she found herself sitting silently on her favorite tree branch, looking over the ocean and the mesmerizing colors in the magnificent sunset. She held tightly to the silver staff in her hand. It was her father's special weapon with turquoise gems, and she was forbidden to touch it. But something about it called to her... She had taken it several times, and it was now becoming a habit to sneak off to the forest edge at the beach and hide with it.

It spoke to her, although she could not understand what it was saying. Soft whispers in a comforting voice...

"Krystal?"

She gasped, whipping around to face the intruder. She gave him a skeptical look. "Tony?"

He chuckled. "Yea, sure."

"What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Or I could ask you to join me. I found something really cool on the beach. I thought you'd like it." He smiled.

 _He's being awfully nice today..._  Krystal thought to herself. Just yesterday they had fought over the way she ate PukPuk Eggs. She'd told him that unless he started being nicer, she would stop talking to him. Everyone knew he fancied her, despite the three year difference in their age. He could not stand to be separated from her for long, and he had finally convinced her to give him a chance as a potential future mate.

She smiled at him and carefully climbed down from her special branch. "How did you find me?"

He hesitated. "My brother told me to come."

"Oh." She had told Connor about her special place, but she had told him never to tell a soul, especially Tony.  _Now I'll have to find a new hiding spot..._  She thought with an irritated edge. "I told him not to tell anyone..."

He looked down. "I'm sorry. He can be a jerk sometimes. I wanted to make up for yesterday."

Krystal bit her tongue. She was half tempted to tell him off. Connor was one of, if not,  _the_  nicest person she knew. Nothing irritated her more than to hear Tony badmouth him. "So what did you want to show me?"

"C'mon. Follow me." He took her hand and led her to the water. They walked along the beach for a little while.

He looked at the shortened staff in her hands. "Isn't that...your father's?"

"Yes." She said.

"Aren't you going to get into trouble?"

"Most likely. But I don't care. It's..." She trailed off, remembering that Tony was not as understanding as Connor.

"It's what?" He asked. "I won't tell anyone."

She hesitated. He seemed different. Maybe he was actually making an effort to be nicer. It made her want to trust him. "It's... it's like it calls to me. Like we're connected somehow. I can't understand what it's saying. But it wants me to take it somewhere..."

He smiled. "That's cool. I guess it means you're special."

She blushed a bit. "You're being awfully nice today..."

"I am?" His smile disappeared.

"That's a good thing."

"Oh..." He seemed concerned.

"You don't have to be mean all the time. It's nice to be nice sometimes." She said, hoping this might be the moment when he would change.

"Yeah... I guess you're right. I'm sorry."

"I forgive you." She smiled at him as they walked. "So, where are we going?"

"You'll see. I think you'll like it." He led her away from the beach and into the trees to a small tent that was set up to overlook the beach. He sat down on one side of a mat that was laid out inside. In the center of the mat was a box filled with seashells and stones.

Krystal sat opposite of him and peered into the box.

"This one..." He picked up a small blue rock and held it out. It fit nicely in the palm of his hand.

Krystal looked closely at the shining blue stone. At first, she thought that it was catching the sunlight. But then she realized that it was giving off its own light. Little beams of white and light blue glinted inside the slightly transparent stone. She gasped lightly in awe of its beauty and reached for it. He placed it lightly in her palm.

A warm, life-giving feeling spread through Krystal's body. She giggled lightly. "Where did you find it?" She asked.

"On the beach, a few hours ago. It was just laying in the sand. It reminded me of you."

"It's beautiful..." She said.

"Not as beautiful as you." He replied.

"That's sweet..."

"Not as sweet as you."

She smiled and looked down at the stone, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. She squeezed the stone tighter in her palm, glancing up into his blue-green eyes.

He leaned in slowly for a kiss. She didn't dare move as his soft breath touched her face. His lips brushed against hers. They were soft and warm, and sent a flutter of butterflies through her stomach. She'd never kissed him before.

"Connor!" A voice called from nearby.

He jerked back and turned to face the tent door. Then glanced back at Krystal. "Hide that. Don't let anyone see it." He said.

A confused look came to Krystal's face as she tucked the small stone carefully into the corner of her bra.

One of the twins popped his head into the tent. "What're you guys doing?" He looked at his brother suspiciously.

"I was... showing... Krys... your rock collection." He said, giving his twin brother a knowing glare.

"..Oh. I see. I'll...see you guys later. Have fun,  _Tony_." He turned and walked away, slightly jealous that his girl was with his brother. But he knew that it was the only way to keep her from being upset with him. Apologies and making up from arguments were not one of his strong points. Instead, he made his brother Connor pose as himself to woo her over again. It had become apparent that Connor was as fond as Krystal as he was, but he was sure she only loved him. Why else would she continue to forgive him so easily?

But a slight doubt was seeping into his mind. What if she only came back because she loved who Connor was, and thought Connor was him? But he fought this thought away. Normally it would be by means of violence toward his brother and more arguments with Krystal. But the truth was, she was his girl. Not Connor's. Half of the village knew that once they were both of age, he intended to marry her.

Krystal stared incredulously at Connor. "You..."

"What?"

"You're...Connor..."

He looked down. "No..."

"Don't lie. You're terrible at it."

"Not so terrible that I couldn't fool you." He said.

She scowled. "How long have you been doing this? How do I know which times I was with Tony and which times I was with you?"

"Think of every time you argued with him. And every time...  _he_  came to apologize."

"That was you..."

He stared at a dark speck on the ground.

"How could I be so stupid? I should have known..."

"You saw what you wanted to see. You wanted me to be him. So I was."

"How...how many... how could you!" She slapped him on the cheek hard enough to turn his head. He winced slightly.

"I'm sorry..."

Krystal stood up and left him alone in the tent, furious.

"I love you..." He said softly.

She froze then, five feet from the tent but close enough to hear his words.

_How could I have been so stupid... I should never have lied to her. I never stood a chance.. If only I could show her how sorry I am..._

His words sounded close; too close. As if he were speaking inside her head. Emotion filled her chest... It was not her own emotions, but those of Connor. She placed her hand over her heart as if it would stop the bursting pain.

 _He can't see me here..._  She thought, and began to run. She fled back to the village and into her house, carelessly plopping her father's staff on a shelf and dropping herself onto the ground mat. The terrible heartbreak she had felt was not hers, and she knew it. It was Connor's... but how had she felt his emotions?

"Telepathy." She nearly jumped at her father's voice. "Your mother and I both had it. It's only natural that you should inherit it, since Kevin never showed any signs."

She sat up, shocked.

"You can read minds and feel others' emotions. It's a gift, Krystal. Not many people have it. Use it wisely. Not how you've been using my staff, for instance..."

"But I-..."

"It's alright. It's natural that you have such a craving for it... you're my daughter, after all. But I must warn you. Be careful. If any of the council know you have it, they will punish you severely."

She looked down.

"I will teach you how to use it someday. You're too young now. The power would kill you..."

"I'm not too-..."

"I know. You think you could handle it. I thought the same when I was your age... The result was this." He lifted his shirt, revealing a series of gnarled scars on his stomach. Krystal winced. "If it wasn't such a terrible danger, Krystal, believe me, I would teach you in a heartbeat. But for now, just trust that I am trying to protect you."

She nodded slowly. For the first time, she realized that his lips weren't moving.

"For now, your telepathy is maturing. I will teach you to control it."

She smiled. "I'd love that..."

"I thought you would." He smiled back. "Now come on. Sit up properly and we'll begin your first lesson."

( **Later that night...** )

"You told her didn't you!" Tony shouted angrily.

Connor did not reply.

"You lying backstabber. I trusted you!"

"I lied to her... You made me lie to her..."

"You did it willingly."

"Because you threatened me!"

"I'll do more than that when I'm through with you." Tony snapped, grabbing Connor by his shirt. Connor shoved him away.

"Leave me alone."

"What, you think you're so tough? Think you can handle me?"

Tears formed in Connor's eyes, but his face remained in an angered frown. "Leave me alone!" He cried.

Tony shoved him back. "Oh yeah? Who's gonna make me?" He shoved him again. "You're nothing!" He spat, shoving him into the wall of their room. Connor bounced back and shoved Tony with all his might. He stumbled back and fell on the floor, banging his head on the wall. He reached up and touched where there was now a fresh cut.

He scowled up at Connor. "You're nothing!"

"I'm still more than you! I kissed her. I bet you haven't yet."

A murderous look entered Tony's eyes as he slowly rose from the ground. Connor turned around and fled out of the house as fast as he could run.

"You can run but you can't hide!" Tony called, not far behind.

Connor pushed himself to ran faster, straight past the village lines and into the black forest. The moon was covered by dark clouds, taking the luminous darkness of the trees and duplicating that feeling by several times.

He barreled over a fallen tree and tripped. Not daring to take the time to get up, he scooted half under the tree.

Tony stopped running as he reached the tree. He stood absolutely still except for his breathing, listening intently for Connor's footsteps. This time he would kill the brat...

Silence.

He slowly stepped over the log, perking his ears. Connor shrunk back into the shadow.

The sound of stifled panting reached Tony's ears. He grinned, looking down toward the sound.

"Hello, brother."

Connor cringed. A rough hand grabbed him by the arm and yanked him to his feet. Before he could react, Tony's fist came flying into his cheek with incredible force. Pain erupted in a bright light behind Connor's eyes. Tony's fist came again and again, despite his struggling and screams. Finally his brother's grip gave way on his shirt and he collapsed to the floor. Tony climbed over him, sitting on his stomach in a straddle and using both fists.

With a grunt, Connor closed his eyes and lashed out. He caught Tony in the jaw, knocking him clean on the ground. He hurriedly scrambled for the advantage, pinning down his brother and holding his wrists. Tony kneed him hard in the back and rolled on top of him again. It was all Connor could do to hold his arms protectively around his face. Tony's strikes did not relent for a good while. Connor closed his eyes tight against the pain and quietly sobbed. He silently begged for it to end. He wanted Tony to end it quickly.

An angry yell met his ears. Suddenly the pressure on his chest was gone. Connor rolled onto his side and curled into the fetal position, still sobbing.

"ENOUGH." The voice bellowed. The trembling volume was too loud to be any of the villagers.

Connor slowly opened his eyes. His vision failed him. A tall red blur was standing above what looked like Tony's trembling form. An ethereal red glow shone from his fur.

"Do you know nothing? He is your  _brother._  Not just your brother...but the other half of your soul. And you are killing him!"

Tony sat on the ground with a horrified look on his face. Connor could not see the wolf's face; only his back.

"Go home, coward! Run!"

Tony scrambled to his feet and fled.

Connor still lay on the ground, frozen. The blur slowly turned around and looked at him. As his right eye slowly cleared, he realized the blurry figure was a wolf. The glowing red eyes looked into his soul.

"You... do you know what you've done?"

Connor slowly shook his head.

"You lied to her. The only girl who can keep this planet alive and you  _lied_  to her."

"I... I'm sorry..."

"YOU  _LIED TO HER._ "

An incredible sorrow filled Connor's heart. Tears rose in his eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

The wolf paced back and forth. "You... _never_... Never do this again. Ever. You hear me? If I find you've kept this up again I will kill you myself, protector or not."

Connor nodded slowly, fresh tear trails forming along his cheeks.

The wolf leaned down and touched his shoulder. "You are meant to protect her. Love her.  _Cherish_  her. If you do not, then someone else will. Don't let that be your brother. You are better than him, Connor. You are the good. Now go and do good like you were born to do." With that, the wolf disappeared.

Slightly trembling, Connor stood up and turned around. The aches in his face were gone. He reached up and touched his cheek. The fur was clean and his cuts were healed. He stood for a moment in shock, and then he stumbled through the dark forest, back toward home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went through old chapters and changed some things that needed to be changed. If you're an old reader, you may want to go back through to catch up on the new changes.

Vivian stood by her tree, waiting for Shinae.  _He should have been here by now. What's holding him?_

White light flashed behind her eyes. The light faded into the familiar city lights. She looked around.  _Where am I now?_

_CORNERIA_

The bright bold letters of the hotel reminded her of her old home. She stood outside, staring up at the many floors. It was so tall... all her life she had wanted to stay in a building like that, on one of the top floors with a balcony, close to the pool on the roof...

She looked at the massive news billboard to her right.

_JAMES MCCLOUD BACK HOME...TEAM TAKING REST STOP AT CORNERIA INN_

The picture of the boy she had once known, only much older, was hovering in the corner of the bulletin. Maybe, just maybe, he would show her that kindness again...

She stepped into the hotel and walked up to the front desk.

The sophisticated ferret behind the desk gave her a sinister glare. "Can I help you?"

Angela blushed lightly. "Yes... I'm looking for my friend. Well.. an old friend. I heard he's staying here."

"Who?"

"James McCloud..."

The ferret began to laugh as if it was the best joke she'd heard all year. "Sorry hun, you're going to have to try harder than that."

"Please. It's an emergency... He knew me when we were young... and I need help..."

"You got  _that_  right, sweetie." The ferret retorted.

Tears filled Angela's eyes. "Please... just tell him I'm here. I'm begging you... this is my last resort."

She sighed, staring at the ragged girl before her. "Alright. I'll page his room. If he doesn't know you, you'd better be out of here in three seconds flat."

"Thank you..."

The phone rang.

"Yes?"

"McCloud?"

"Speaking." His voice was so much deeper than the adolescent boy she had once known.

"This girl here says she's a friend of yours."

"Name?"

"Angela." She said.

"Angela." The ferret repeated.

"Angela... I don't think I know anyone by that name..."

"Please! You have to remember me... I was the girl you knew when you were younger. It was a long time ago, I know.. but I need help, and I don't have anywhere else to go... You took me from the streets when I was really little. Your mother let me stay for a while until the foster people came to get me..."

"He can't hear you over the phone, sweets. Sir, do you want me to have her leave?"

"I-...I'm not sure, I..."

"Mister McCloud, do you know this girl?"

"I don't know an Angela, but I kne-"  _CLICK._

"Out. Now." The ferret snapped, hanging up the phone.

Tears filled Angela's eyes. "I'm sorry I bothered you... tell him I'm sorry."

"That's fine. But you'd better leave now."

Angela took a few steps away and then stopped. "Is there any chance you...have any change... for a taxi?"

The ferret sighed. "Here's a twenty. If you use it for anything BUT a taxi I will personally skin you. Now get out."

Angela nodded. "Yes...thank you..." She ran out of the hotel, tears spilling down her cheeks as she hailed the nearest cab. "I've got a twenty, is that enough for a ride to the main hospital downtown and then back?"

"Good enough. Get in."

She climbed into the taxi and closed the door. As the cab began to move, she caught her reflection in the window. Her face was nearly black with dirt, and now tears had made trails in the black. Her hair was tangled and messy, her clothes were filthy and torn. A sinking feeling filled her gut.

_He would have taken one look at me and thrown me into the dumpster with the rest of the trash... I'm not half good enough to even know someone as good as him... I don't belong in this world... I shouldn't have survived this long..._

A tear trailed down her cheek.  _Maybe... just maybe... my parents are still alive..._

( **Meanwhile** )

Tony fled through the forest, terrified of what the red wolf might do to him. The darkness in those eyes was petrifying. Some instinct at the back of his head told him he was going the wrong way, but he ignored it and kept moving. The idea of being caught in the forest looking like he had no idea where he was going... He shuddered at the thought.

He tripped on a tree root and sprawled onto the floor. A feminine gasp startled him and he jumped up, on guard.

A tiny white cat stood in a white nightgown, staring at him in shock.

"You're not Shinae..." She said.

He shook his head. "I'm Tony. You're not safe here... I'll take you back to the village. There's a monster on the loose..."

"A monster? Shinae would know. He won't let it get me."

"Who's Shinae?"

"My protector. He's guarded over me since I was a little girl. He's not going to let a silly monster get me."

Tony gave her a confused look. "You're just going to sit here and hope this shiney fellow saves you?"

"Yep." She sat down by a tree.

Tony sat down by one that was a few feet away and studied the mysterious girl. From her size she looked about twelve years old, but her hips, breasts, and voice told him she was older. "How old are you?" He asked.

"Older than you, silly boy." She said with a grin.

"I'm fifteen." He said with a scowl.

She laughed. "Silly child. I'm almost twenty, if you must know."

"How come I've never seen you before?"

She giggled. "You have. You just don't remember. I left the village when I was very young..."

"You left the village?" A shocked expression crossed his face.

She chuckled. "Well technically I was dragged out. But I stay close. I remember you... you were friends with my brother once. You had a twin, named...Cameron...?"

"Connor."

"Yeah. That's it."

"You have a brother?"

"I… had a brother... But I'm not part of their family anymore." She looked down.

Tony's eyes drifted slowly along her thin tiny figure. "You're a little small to be almost twenty."

"I know." She closed her eyes.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked.

She turned and looked at him. "I'm fine... they all say I'm crazy... maybe they're right. I don't belong here..."

He couldn't deny the strange attraction he suddenly felt toward this girl. "That's not true. You're here, aren't you?"

She sighed. "I wasn't supposed to be..."

"What do you mean?"

"I should have died. I was supposed to die. It was a long time ago... but I should have died."

He frowned. "But you're still alive. If you were supposed to die you would have died."

She shook her head. "I basically did... it's complicated." She sighed. "You should go. I need to find Shinae."

He was almost hurt. "Go?"

"Yes. Go. Back to your rotten village. And don't come here again. The council punishes those who 'fraternize with infidels.'"

He paused for a moment. "Wait... Infidel... Hey... I know you! You're that girl who murdered-"

"Get out! Leave me alone!" She snapped, standing up.

He stood as well. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'll call Shinae and he'll kill you."

Tony scowled. He didn't want to leave her.

"Angel!" A voice called from a little ways away.

Her face lit up like the brilliant morning sunrise. "Shinae!" She turned to Tony and scowled. "You'd better leave before he tears you apart."

Tony was about to talk back, but his peripheral vision recognized a soft red glow coming from the forest. His eyes widened. "That's...that's the monster! It'll kill us!" He whispered toward her.

She laughed. "My Shinae is coming. He would never let any monster hurt me."

Suddenly Tony realized that the terrifying creature in the woods was Shinae. The blood drained from his face. Without another sound, he turned heel and fled away from the mysterious outcast.

 _One day,_  he thought.  _One day she will be mine._

Vivian stood in the forest, a brilliant grin on her face as her handsome red wolf appeared from behind the trees.

"Hello, Angel." He said with a smile.

"Shinae!" She cried happily, rushing into his arms and burying her face in his chest. He was a good head taller than her and at least twice her mass. The warmth in his embrace was like none she could ever find in the universe. "I missed you..." She whispered.

"I missed you too..." He sighed. There was something awful on his mind, and he could not find the words to tell her. "I want to do something special...with you. Anywhere you want to go. I'll take you. Anywhere."

"I'm happy anywhere. As long as I'm with you." She said.

He smiled. "I know where to take you..."

"Where?"

"The top of the floating island."

"Floating island?"

He grinned mischievously. "You're going to love it. Close your eyes." He reached out and touched both of her hands. White light enveloped the pair and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, it looked as if they were standing on a cloud. They were on the edge of a small sky island.

Vivian stood with her mouth agape, staring around her at the beautiful moonlight reflecting on the calm ocean. "Oh, my-..."

"Look, you can even see the village from here." Shinae said.

She looked in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, the mainland beach was visible, and only a little ways from it was the massive clearing that held the village. "It's so beautiful."

He smiled. "You silly girl… no matter how amazingly gorgeous you think the view might be, it is no where near your magnificent beauty."

She looked into his eyes, blushing fiercely. He smiled and took her hands. "I…I missed you..." She whispered, hugging him.

"And I missed you." He replied, holding her close. "And I...there's something we need to..." He sighed. "I... I might not be able to see you for a while."

She pulled out of their embrace, a worried look on her face. "Why?"

"We... we lost the stone. It was our only source of energy and it's gone. Vanished. Into thin air. It could be anywhere..." He said.

"What happened?"

"Takkah and Talia were fighting... Ramiro had a vision that it had been taken. They were arguing with it over whether to lock it in a safe place or use it to save one of the villagers who was injured in a fight. They started fighting about it... they got careless, and it fell over the edge of the castle. They've been looking for it for hours now. Ramiro hasn't had any visions about where it is. Talia's power is almost gone, and so is Maye's. If our power runs out, we die."

She stepped back in shock. "How could it just be gone...?" She asked.

He looked down. "I... I don't know. It could be anywhere by now. And while our power is limited, I can't risk losing the entire planet..."

"Just to see me." She said, turning away from him.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"It's alright." She tried her best to hide her disappointment. Over the last five years she had seen him quite often, at least once or twice a week, and she had grown more fond of him than she was willing to admit.

"No. I don't want you to think that I would ever abandon you. I... No matter what happens, I will come back for you. I could never leave you. I'll come back for you, I swear... if it's the last thing I ever do."

A forced smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Alright."

He sighed. "We will see each other again... I swear it." He said.

"Take me with you?"

"I can't...I would, I swear to you Angel if there was any possible way I would..."

Tears sprang to her eyes. She blinked them away.

"I'll come for you. If it takes me a thousand years I will come back for you."

"I'll be dead and gone in a thousand years."

"I'll bring you back."

She chuckled. "Are you telling me you'd go to hell and back to find me again?" She teased.

He shook his head. "Hell? Never. No one as beautiful as you could ever end up in a horrid place like that."

"And what if I did?"

"Then I would decimate the soul of the sorry bastard who mistakenly put you there, and bring you right back out."

She smiled a little.

He sighed. "Don't worry... I'm your guardian. There's no way I could ever go on knowing I can't see you again. I will find away for us to be together again. I swear it."

She turned away from him and looked down. "Sure, you will…" The memories of her past life and waiting on James returned. Her logical side told her it would have been impossible for James to find her even if he had looked, but her emotional side took over that thought and strangled it out with feelings of abandonment.

And here was her new hero, Shinae, the man who made her previous love for James seem like a little girl's crush… and he was leaving her to fend for herself just as James had.

His arms wrapped around her from behind. "I will come back. I swear to you. If you ever need me I will be there, no matter what. Just say my name and I'll come running."

A tear ran down her cheek. "You promise?" She asked.

He smiled softly and kissed her cheek, and then stepped around to face her. "I promise." He touched his lips to her forehead. "A promise sealed with a kiss. Now I can't ever break it." He smiled.

Her emotions and her mind were battling. Maybe he really meant it. Maybe, just maybe, he would keep his promise… Maybe, maybe, maybe.

He stroked her cheek tenderly with his thumb. Her resolve was weakening. She wanted to believe him so badly, but the situation sounded too hopeless.

She closed her eyes to stop the tears that had been threatening her repeatedly. When her eyelids lifted, she knew… she would believe him, no matter what. She loved him. He was here now, and he had always been there before. She was in love with him, and this time she wasn't going to let him just walk away forever.

"Alright… I believe you." A sudden thought made her love for him seem childish again. "I want you to tell me something."

"Anything." He replied.

"Who…who was my grandmother to you." She said it more than asked it, but the thought of being in love with her past grandmother's ex-lover didn't sit right in her gut.

He chuckled. "We...well, we were best friends for a long time. She married someone else, though."

"Were you ever...more than friends?" Vivian asked.

He turned away. "Not entirely. I thought I loved her at one point. I tried to ask her on a date, but she rejected me. I was so young and emotional... I killed myself because of it. Maye rescued me, and I ended up here." He looked back at her. "I don't want you to think that me being here with you has anything to do with her. I loved her once, but that was a long time ago. She's gone now. And besides, you... You're Michal and Keila's daughter now."

"How did she die?" Vivian asked, averting the tender subject of the "friendship" they had.

He looked down. "That was my fault… She and I... well, I practically died, but Maye saved me. I became this… I have the ability to suspend time and pull one other person out with me. I don't know if you remember or not… but that was how I first talked to you. I… I found her again, and I used my power. But… at the wrong time. I just wanted to talk to her. She was confused and angry with me... But when I let go, she was distracted. She wasn't ready for what happened… There was an enemy fighter there waiting for her. He was shot down by one of her allies, but…his ship crashed directly through hers. I tried to save her, but… it was too late. All I could do was hold her in my time bubble. She knew she was going to die the moment I left. But she wasn't even afraid... She told me she wasn't afraid to die. I tried to think of some way to save her... but she told me to let go. So I did... And then she was gone." He stared down at a spot on the ground.

Vivian watched him with empathy. "I'm sorry…"

"If I had just waited a few minutes, or managed to warn her before I sent her back..."

"You couldn't have known. It was an accident. It's not like you meant to hurt her." She said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

He nodded. "I know…but I…" A sigh escaped his lips as he turned his back to her. "I have to leave soon."

"Wait." The panic inside her must have shown through her voice, because he turned back to look at her. "I don't-… y-you can't-…" Her words evaporated into the wispy fog before they had even left her throat. Tears of desperation rose to her eyes.  _You can't leave me…_

"I will never leave you." He said, hearing her thoughts as if she had spoken them.

"But you're…" The lump in her throat choked out the rest of her sentence. She bit her lip to stifle the sobs that begged to break free. Her shoulders trembled. _I love you._

That simple thought, so short yet so powerful. Shinae's telepathic abilities were not the best of the Guardians, but he could not mistake those three words. He stared at her for a full minute before acting. He had watched her grow from a little girl into a beautiful woman, and her beauty was never lost on him. He had felt attracted to her for a few years, but somewhere inside he chose to believe that she didn't love him, or that somehow it wasn't possible for them to be together that way.

A grin formed slowly on his mouth. "I love you, too."

Her eyes went wide with the realization that he had read her mind. How many times in the past had he-… suddenly, something was different. There was something she was missing, something important… And then she realized that he was kissing her.

 _Had_  kissed her.

He leaned away, embarrassed that she hadn't kissed back. Maybe he  _had_  misread her mind… then this was all a terrible mistake! What had he done? "I… I'm sorry, I-…"

Vivian reached up and placed her hands on his cheeks. She stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips against his. His lips were so soft and warm… electric chills pulsed down her spine. She broke contact with a gasp. She had often imagined what it would be like to kiss him… but she never could have imagined how wonderful it really was.

He tilted his head and kissed her again, tenderly. Her eyes were open wide, staring at the fur on his cheek as if a blink would end the dream… but this wasn't a dream. His tongue brushed gently between her lips, sending pleasing currents down to her fingers and toes. She closed her eyes and melted into his sweet kiss. Her arms slid up around his neck.

He lifted her from the ground, supporting her legs around his waist with his strong arms without disrupting their kiss.

Vivian's heart burned in her chest, longing for him. It seemed like even snuggled tightly against his body was not nearly close enough.  _Words cannot express how much I want you right now..._  She thought.

His telepathy picked up that thought and he leaned back from the kiss, staring at her. She bit her lip and blushed deeply. "You fancy me, eh?" He asked, winking at her.

 _More than I would ever care to admit..._  She thought, nodding.

He grinned at her, still holding her up around his waist. She grabbed his cheeks and kissed him passionately, throwing him off balance. He stumbled back a few steps, broke the kiss, and let go of her with one arm as he tripped backwards and landed on his back. Vivian landed awkwardly on top of him with her chest in his face.

He grabbed her waist with his hands and helped her regain her balance. He chuckled and then kissed her again. "You're adorable." He gently rolled her off of him and then climbed over her, nudging between her knees. He leaned in to kiss her again, but he stopped. "I want you to know... if you feel uncomfortable, or scared, or you want me to back off in any way, just tell me and whatever it is I will stop."

She nodded slowly. "I will..." She said.  _As if I would want you to stop...all I want right now is you._

( **Lemon Warning** )

He smiled lovingly and pressed his lips to hers. She pulled his hands to her breasts. His cheeks glowed even more red than normal as he gently massaged them. Her white dress came off with hardly any effort, revealing the perky nipples he had been feeling. He kissed them, and then kissed between them, and then trailed kisses down her belly. She arched her body up towards him as his hands felt down her thighs.

He tugged down her hand-made underwear and slid them off the ends of her feet. She pressed her knees together, blushing shyly as she hid herself from him. He grinned, trailing his fingers down the side of her leg. He kissed the inner part of her knee, and coaxed his way along her inner leg until his lips were at the center of her thighs.

She whimpered as he tasted her; his tongue delving inside and then teasing her gently. His lips moved up to her clit as he inserted his middle finger. She was already quite moist inside. Her moans reached his ears as he fingered her; softly at first, and then with more vigor. Her chest arched upwards, and he used his free hand to caress her right breast. Her breaths grew short and quick. He kissed his way up her stomach and to her mouth, relaxing his fingers. She clawed at his clothes and kissed him hard, thrusting her hips up towards him in a motion she hoped he would soon be replicating.

He started to remove his pants, but she impatiently jerked them towards his ankles.

"Vivian, listen. There's a plant in the forest that will prevent you from getting pregnant if you eat the berries first thing in the morning. If this goes further, I want you to do that, okay?"

She nodded, kissing him again. Her hands ventured downwards, straight to his crotch. He shivered at her touch. He was long since firm and lusting for her. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she pulled herself against him, rolling her body up in a sensual manner. He grinned at her and kissed her neck, lowering himself towards her. Her back met the ground, and he used it as leverage as he began to press himself inside of her.

Her nails dug into his shoulders, and a cry of pain emitted from her lips. He kissed her shoulders and whispered into her ear, "the pain'll stop soon. I'll go slow until it does."

He pushed in gently until he was fully immersed, and then slowly pulled out. She was so warm and tight that he could hardly stop himself from ravaging her immediately. Her grip on his arms loosened, and her winces of pain turned into moans of pleasure. He did one quick thrust to test if her pain was gone; she moaned loudly. A slight grin tugged at his cheeks as he began thrusting in at a medium pace. The satisfaction of sex was something he had been far too long without.

Vivian's chest rose towards him, and her moans began to change into tiny, high pitched gasps. Heat flooded her body. Her legs clamped around his waist, trembling lightly and holding him inside of her. The muscles around his cock tightened significantly.

"Whoa..." Shinae moaned, hardly able to contain himself. As soon as her legs relaxed, he sat back to catch his breath.

She propped herself up on her elbows, looking at him with a grin as she panted softly. "That felt amazing. That was...that was great."

Shinae chuckled.

"What?" She blushed.

"Was?" He raised his eyebrows at her. Feeling recovered enough for the moment, he grabbed the back of her knees and pulled her up to him. "Come here, you." Still sitting, he pulled her onto his lap and pushed inside again. She was warm and wet, and it felt amazing.

"Oh!" She whimpered a bit as he adjusted his sitting position. "You're... you're uh, still..."

"I'm not done." He grabbed her hips and guided her into a slow rocking motion. He closed his eyes to savor the feeling. She pulled his hands up to her breasts and began her own rhythm, slowly gaining speed in her thrusts. She tilted her head down and gently nipped his neck, drawing out a moan.

He could feel himself getting close to the end, and at the same time, her moans began to get high pitched again. Her rhythm broke as she drew towards an orgasm. In one smooth motion, he held her against him with one arm, and flipped around onto his stomach with her below him again. He thrusted with passion now; swift and deep.

Her muscles tensed around him. He kept thrusting, closer and closer to climax. Vivian's cry of ecstasy caught in her throat. Her legs tensed around Shinae, holding him too close to pull out. The muscles inside of her clenched tightly again as she orgasmed.

"Angel-... I-I can't pull o-ughhh." The climax took hold of his body, sending waves of pleasure down to his toes. He came directly into her.

( **End Lemon** )

"Tha-that was, uh..." He chuckled. "That was something."

She giggled. "It was good. It was... very good."

He kissed her forehead. "I, um. I couldn't pull out in time, so..."

"Berries, yes. I'll remember."

"I mean, not that I'd never want to, it's just... I don't know how long I'll be away."

"I know." She blushed. "I just hope... I hope it's not too long."

He rolled onto the ground next to her, and she snuggled up to him. Her head lay on his chest. "Angel?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I... I love you, too."

It was hours before they finally returned to the forest behind the village. Vivian knew that this was the last time she would see him. He carried her back nearly to her front door. The light was on inside, doubtless lit by her grandmother. She stared up at Shinae's face. With his red fur engulfed in his ethereal glow, he looked like an angel. He was her angel, no matter how many times he called her by that name. It was her name once upon a time, but he was far more angelic than she. The same tears as before threatened to come again, and this time she let them.

He was still leaving… There was no way she could stop him. But now things were different. Now she knew that her love was not unreturned.

He set her on her feet, looking into her eyes one last time. There were no words to say between them. All that could be said had been said.

He planted a kiss on her nose. "I love you…" He had to have said it no less than a dozen times that night, but he felt like he needed to say it again.

She nodded, unable to speak a word without letting loose an array of sobs. She bit her lip to keep them at bay. Nothing was worse than crying and sniveling at a last goodbye.

He hugged her tightly one more time, and then turned to go.

A thousand words would not be enough to convey her emotions to him. A thousand years would not be enough time to say goodbye. And yet she stood by, watching him leave.

His red glow faded and he vanished.

The sobs came then, and she sank to her knees in sorrow. A mournful wail escaped her throat, echoing through the woods in an eerie fashion. She sat on the ground by a tree, sobbing and shaking and crying, and yet no amount of tears could bring him back.

_I love you._

She sniffed and looked up, hearing his voice. It echoed through the trees with the wind, as if he had sighed it with such strength that the air was forced to carry the message.

_I will always love you._

She closed her eyes as the cool breeze washed over her body. The resolve she needed to go on finally found her spirit.

She stood up slowly and wiped her eyes.  _Goodbye, my love…_


	7. Chapter 7

Michal sat at his work desk, mulling over the designs that he had been working on for a new border. The forest creatures were getting braver, and the attacks on the village were becoming more and more frequent. It was getting to the point where not one person in the village would go outside after dark. The moment the sun disappeared over the horizon, all of the villagers rushed for their doors and barred them tightly.

Most would not even go out in pairs.

They had never needed borders before. The Guardians had always watched over them… Some of the more naïve villagers worshiped the Guardians as gods, but they repeatedly told the village leaders that they were merely immortals by another power. If that power were to fail, their immortality would cease.

Michal wondered if their power had indeed failed. That would be an explanation for the attacks. He and the other leaders had not heard from the Guardians in a few weeks, but that was normal. The Guardians seldom visited the village. No one knew where they resided, but most suspected the temple. While some villagers worshiped the Guardians, others refused to believe in their existence. It was not often that a Guardian came to visit, and when they did they kept themselves well hidden from the sight of the village.

They were rumored to be grand beings of unrivaled beauty and magnificence. Michal had seen only one, when his first daughter was very young. The Guardian called himself Shinae, and had sworn to protect her. He told them that she had the memories of a past life that had ended, and that he and the other Guardians had sent her soul into the body of Vivian. Her past name had been Angela. The Guardian called her Angel.

He had indeed been a magnificent creature. He was tall and muscled, and his fur was as red as a blazing fire. There was a glow about him, as if he came from the sun or a distant star. His voice was deep and threatening to any male, but his eyes were kind, betraying his soft heart and good intentions.

Michal sighed, drawing his mind back to his work. They needed to build a fence strong enough to keep out the monsters and tall enough that they could not climb it. That was easy enough, but they also needed a gate for the warriors to go out and hunt food. The main question was where the fence would end. The beach was safe for the most part, but would the creatures try to go around the fence?

He sighed again and took a sip of the calming tea he had made himself prior to entering his workshop.

"Dad?"

The voice came from the open doorway where Michal's sixteen year old son stood. "What is it." He said shortly. He did not mean to sound so cross, but the amount of times he had asked the boy not to disturb him in his workshop had been long lost amongst the number of stars in the sky.

Kevin sighed. "Nothing… never mind." He turned to go, wondering why he was even disappointed at this point.

"You've already disturbed my work. What is it you need?" Michal asked in a flat voice. He tried not to sound so emotionless, but instinctive memory patterns overtook his feeble attempt. It seemed as of recently that nearly every conversation between the two males ended in a vicious quarrel.

"I just…" A sigh escaped the boy's lips. "I miss mom…"

Michal's muscles tensed at the mention of his deceased wife. "Missing her isn't going to bring her back." He snapped.

Kevin clenched his jaw, trying to hold back tears. "I know. Nothing will. She's gone."

"Learning about the deceased, are you?" Michal asked, sarcasm practically dripping off of his words.

Kevin looked away from his father. "You don't always have to be so mean." He turned around and slammed the door behind him. He had not meant to shut it so hard, but the wood was lightweight and the wind often aided its closing more than he would have liked. Knowing he was going to be scolded for slamming it, he walked quickly toward the house and took refuge inside.

" _KEVIN! YOU GET BACK HERE THIS SECOND._ " Michal's voice carried through the front door.

Krystal was standing in the kitchen, boiling water for tea. She turned around, shocked. She rarely heard her father yell. "What happened?"

Kevin started. He had failed to notice her presence before. "Shit. Kryssy, please go."

Michal burst through the door. "You slam my door and then just walk away? You disrespectful bastard! You can't even apologize to your father when you've done wrong!"

"I didn't mean to!" Kevin cried. He winced at the hostility in his father's tone. He silently begged his father to notice that Krystal was in the room.

"Don't lie to me. You've slammed that door way too many times to pull it off as an accident!" Michal snapped. "Apologize now!"

Anger boiled in Kevin's veins. Was he actually starting a fight in front of his baby sister? "I'm  _not_  sorry! I didn't do anything wrong! I'm sick of being accused of everything! I take all of the blame for everything that goes wrong in your life! When mom died it got even worse! It's not fair!" This was one of those times when everything he just said sounded better in his mind before it all poured out in words. He realized could have done without the cliché 'it's not fair' to automatically massacre the sense of maturity he strove to show.

"How dare you!" Michal spat. His hand flew across his son's face with a loud  _smack_  before he even realized he was doing it. That was when he noticed that his daughter was in the room, staring at him with a horrified expression.

Kevin looked up at him with tears in his eyes. "I hate you. I hate you!" He shouted. He did not entirely mean it… but at that moment it was the only thing that sounded strong enough to counter the pain in his chest. "I'm getting out of this hell you call home. I'm sick of it! I hate being here! I don't even have to be here! I could have left months ago! I should have! I made my own way out. I built a spaceship and I'm gonna fly away from here and I'll never see you again! And you don't even care and why should you! Why  _would_ you! I hate you! I should have left months ago!" He cried, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Michal looked as though he had been the one to get slapped. He recovered quickly with another verbal cut. "Then why didn't you? You're right. You should have gone long ago. So go! Get out of here! I don't want to see your face here ever again. You…" He paused for a moment, but the words kept on coming. "You're not my son. You are  _dead_  to me." He opened the door and stood expectantly.

Kevin stood in shock for a few seconds. He set his jaw with one last glare at the man he called his father and stormed out the door.

Krystal stared at her father, devastated. "How could you!" She cried. She rushed out of the house in pursuit of her brother. "No! Kevin, he didn't mean it! Please!"

"He meant every word of it." Kevin replied, trying not to sound short with his little sister. He took a deep breath. The fights with his father were slowly getting worse and worse. The physical violence was always well hidden from dear Krystal, innocent as a rose. He loved his sister with all his heart, but he could not take another fight with his father. The verbal abuse toward one another was bad enough, but the fighting was more and more brutal each time. One more day, and maybe one of them would be seriously injured… or even killed. He dare not rob his beautiful sister of the life of another family member.

"Please don't go… did you really mean it? Do you really have a way to leave?"

He nodded, heading into the woods behind the house. She followed him. "I built a metal spaceship. That's what I've been doing all this time. Whenever you asked me to come play and I said I was busy, I was doing this. I'm going to fly away into the stars and go to another planet."

"But you're only sixteen!" Krystal cried. She was only twelve, herself.

"I'm old enough to fight. Trust me…" He glanced away, forcing back the foul memories. Ever since their mother was killed the battles had begun. She was the one who would stop their arguments. And then she was gone, and the first punch was thrown… followed by many more.

Not that he entirely blamed their father. After all, it was Kevin himself who had landed the first blow. But his temper and stubbornness were inherited from his father. As such, they often butted heads about trifling matters.

"I'll come back… Don't worry. I could never leave my little sister to fend for herself for too long." He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her as he neared the shed he had built just off the narrow path to the sacred temple. It was not necessarily a temple; there was no religious activity or worship that occurred there. But it was a large, old structure that no one dared enter. Rumor had it that no one who crossed the threshold ever made it out alive again.

Krystal stared hopelessly as he opened a chamber on the top of the giant silver bird that he called a metal spaceship. He climbed in and flipped a switch. The ground shook with a thunderous sound and fire shot out of the rear of the ship.

"Take me, too!" She cried over the noise.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry… I have to go. Alone. Goodbye…" The ship lifted off the ground with a shaky movement and shot off into the sky.

Krystal stood in the empty space where her brother had been, tears in her eyes.

But he was gone…

( **A few weeks later…** )

Shinae sat weakly on the couch with a heavy sigh. Two of the guardians had been put into emergency stasis in the last week from using up their energy to search for the stone. Their powers were depleting quickly… he had used most of his energy just to see his Angel one last time. Maye had been on his case for that stunt for the last three weeks.

What if this, what if that… but he was still alive, and his Angel was still okay. The possibility of her becoming pregnant from that night hung over his head every day, but he tried to push it away with the differences between them. He was an immortal Guardian, and she was a mortal being. He was a wolf, she was a cat. There had to be some impossibility there… A part of him wanted there not to be, but depending on the time it took to find the stone and if he would even live that long without its power, he could not tolerate the thought that she might end up raising his child alone. At least there were the berries...

_Shinae!_

Her voice echoed in his mind like someone had screamed it into his ears. He sat up with a start. "Angel?"

_Shinae! Please, please come back!_

He stood up with every intent of transporting himself into the forest.

"Don't you dare." Maye snapped.

"I have to! I…I promised her!" He cried in protest.

"No! If you go again, you will die. You've used up nearly all of your energy."

Tears of desperation rose. "Please, I have to…"

"You can still watch over her without using up your life force. Ramiro will show you if she is in real danger."

He looked down. "She's not… but… Her voice…"

"You two are connected. You used part of your life force to save hers. You will always hear her when she calls. But you can't always come running."

 _Please… You promised…_ He grimaced. "But I…"

"Shinae… I know you love her. But she loves you as well, and if you died to see her this time, she would never forgive herself. She will forgive you in the future for not showing up this time."

_Please, Shinae… Don't leave me here alone… I… I think I'm pregnant._

The blood drained from his face and an iron anvil dropped into his gut. He stared at Maye with an expression of terror.

"What…what is it?" She asked, worried.

"She's…I think she's… she said… she…she might be…pregnant."

Maye's eyes pitied him. "With whom?"

He bit his lip and grimaced. Maye would not take this matter lightly. He would probably never hear the end of it. "Me…"

( **Later that evening…** )

Vivian lay curled on her bed, listening to Marie curse on the other side of the door.

"Vivian! You disgraceful child. Open this door! And don't think I don't know what you did to my daughter. You took her from me! I can't even visit my grandchildren aside from you, and I don't even think you  _are_  my grandchild. You're a devil and a whore! Who was it? So at least I can inform the poor man that his whore was pregnant. You can't have a baby! You're too irresponsible to be a mother. You may be able to block me out of your mind but one of these days I am going to get through and you're going to be sorry!"

Fists pounded angrily against the wood.

Sobs shook her body, but she stifled the sounds and closed her eyes. She was pregnant… and Shinae was gone. She had spent a good hour out in the woods, screaming his name. He never came. Her ears laid back against her head, attempting to block out the words that Marie carelessly threw around like leaves. They hit like boulders.

She stood up and opened the window by her bed.  _This time… maybe I won't come back…_  She thought as she climbed out.

She fled into the forest. Marie was an excellent telepath, and alone with time she could slowly navigate the forest. But in pursuit of a young athletic woman? She stood no chance.

The sun was set beyond the ocean in the west, and the night grew darker every minute. The terrors of the black forest would emerge soon… She hurried on into the night, hoping to come across some sort of house or abandoned shelter. The probability that she would was next to nothing, and the chances that she would find shelter before the creatures of the woods found her were even slimmer.

It would be a miracle if she survived until morning.

Through the trees she ran, each tree appearing identical to the one before it. She had never ventured this deep into the forest alone, and especially not at night. The sounds of the raging horrors in the jungle seemed to grow louder the longer she was there. The bloodthirsty bugs buzzing about, the dry leaves and twigs snapping beneath her feet as she ran, the wind howling eerily through the tree branches, the low throaty growl of a threatened and hungry carnivorous creature…

She froze at that last sound and turned cautiously to face the large, round yellow eyes and white pointy teeth of a large dinosaur. It stood nearly two heads taller than her on two large feet and had two small arms with sharp claws for picking leftovers from between its sharp teeth. Its maw opened slowly with strings of saliva stretched between its jaws.

Vivian scrambled backwards in fear and tripped over an exposed tree root. Sprawled on her back, she looked on in terror at the hungry animal that was about to devour her. But even that was not the most terrifying part of her position…

For here, in the middle of the dark forest and facing a deadly monster, she was alone. Shinae was not there to save her this time. And that was all she really wanted, was it not? Some proof that he would not actually leave her to fend for herself against all of the doubt she had let build up inside. Perhaps if she had been smarter she would not be in this position at all.

If only she had remembered the berries that morning.

She cringed backwards with tears in her eyes. "Please…" It was a useless plea. No one would hear her as she died, even if she had screamed it. The chances of the creature being intelligent enough to learn her language were non existent. She closed her eyes against the frightening sight and focused her mind on the only thing that had given her hope through the last several years; Shinae.

His calm, handsome face, covered in deep red fur the color of the fire in her heart that glowed like the magnificent sunset. His crimson eyes that had always looked right through her facade and into her soul. His soft smile that could drive away all of her fears in only a second.

The creature let out a horrible shriek that echoed through the trees and pained Vivian's ears. She rolled onto her side and curled up, covering her ears.

Someone was screaming… a scream so close it seemed to come from her own stomach. And then she realized that it was her.

Her lungs sucked in air and shoved it out again in another desperate cry. Any second now the fiend would descend upon her and devour her and her unborn child. She could not dare a single glance back at that horrible face, and so she kept her eyes closed.  _This is it… this is where I finally die as I should have long ago._ She thought. Her screams did not cease, even though she knew they were useless at a time like this.

If he were going to come, he would have long ago when she called. He had broken his promise… Why would he come now? And yet through it all she could not deny the unshakeable love she held for him. She would forgive him in a heartbeat, she knew. If only she had enough heartbeats left to live until she saw him again…

_I'm sorry, my love…_


	8. Chapter 8

Tony stormed out of the house, ready to murder his brother. He had hardly even touched the boy since the encounter with the red devil, and he did not intend to see the monster again. Rather than risk another encounter, he stomped off into the woods to take it out on some unlucky creature.

Night was falling already. The monsters would be out soon.

Anger and adrenaline drove him deeper into the woods where sense and logic would have turned him back. The realization that he would soon be lost slowed him, but only for a few seconds.

A horrid sounding screech echoed through the woods. His first victim. A grin crossed his face.

A scream followed the screech. It almost sounded like a girl…

He paused. Another scream. This time he ran towards it. The screams continued, closer and closer as he ran. He came around a tree to the sight of a little girl curled up into a ball and screaming beneath the open jaws of a TreeClinger. He picked up a stone and chucked it at the monster's eye. The creature roared in pain and turned toward him.

He backed up slowly, arms spread in a daring pose. As the TreeClinger stepped into range, he swung a mean right hook right to the thing's jaw. It snarled and snapped its teeth together.

Tony knelt to pick up a large broken tree branch and swung it at the monster's head. It roared. He hit it again. Another roar, another blow. The scales on its face split where he hit it and blood oozed out. He picked up a large rock and slammed it into the dinosaur's eye. A hideous squeal of pain pierced his ears.

The dinosaur backed up a few steps and then fled into the dark, bloodied and bruised with one eye severely damaged.

The girl was still screaming.

He knelt beside her and touched her arm. She flinched and screamed louder. He covered her mouth. "Sh! You're going to draw every blasted monster in this whole forest here."

She stopped screaming and opened her eyes, trembling.

It was the girl he had met in the forest several months ago. "Are you alright?" He asked.

She sat up slowly and nodded.

"C'mon. Let's get out of here." Anger past, his sense finally kicked in and told him he should not be here. He helped the girl to her feet and led her through the woods. He didn't know where he was going exactly, but anywhere would be safer than just standing in the middle of the dark forest.

"Th…thank you…" She said softly.

He smiled a little. "What were you doing in the middle of the forest at night anyway?"

"I could ask you the same question." She replied.

"True." He paused. "I was looking for a fight. My brother… he and I don't get along. At all. I was ready to strangle him, but…" He decided not to tell her how her red-furred lover was a monster and skipped over that area entirely. "Well, he is my brother. I came to the forest to take out some aggression on something that no one would mind me killing. I heard you screaming, and I figured you wouldn't mind me pounding that thing's face into the ground, so I came running."

She listened quietly. "I see."

"So… why were you there in the first place?"

She took a deep breath. "I ran away." She said simply.

"From what?"

"My grandmother. I've been with her too long. She's the only person I ever really talk to anymore. Shinae…He's gone…and I'm pregnant. My grandmother told me if I didn't gorge myself on the berries that will kill my baby, she'd beat me into a miscarriage. I figured…at least dying in the forest by the jaws of some heartless creature would be better than being murdered by my own blood relative."

"Wait… Shinae's gone?"

She nodded.

"How could he just be gone?"

"They lost some kind of rock that gives them power. He said he needs to save his energy, and he can't see me anymore until they find it."

"That's ridiculous. So he left you all alone and pregnant?"

She looked down. "Well when you put it that way…"

"What other way is there to put it? He left you. Is the baby his?"

She nodded.

"I'll bet he was just waiting for his piece of ass so he could leave you."

The girl was silent after that remark. She did not want to believe what he said… but that dreadful explanation would explain why she had not even heard from him since that night.

He glanced at her and noticed her crushed expression. "I'm sorry, but it's probably true."

She slowly nodded. "I…thought of that before…I just didn't want to believe it."

"So you say they lost some kind of rock?"

"Yeah."

"Who's they?"

"The Guardians."

"Holy shit, they're real?" He cried in disbelief.

"Yeah, of course they are." She said.

"So… the reason they were alive and powerful was because of some…rock?"

"Yes."

"I say we find it first and take it."

She was quiet again.

"Well, why not? What have they ever done for us anyway? The guy just left you to have  _his_  baby, and then he didn't even come to rescue you when you were inches from death. He deserves it. He could have at least sent one of his pals to help you. They probably don't care either."

There was no reply.

"Hey, what was your name again?"

"Vivian." She replied.

"Right. So. We find the rock, take it, and then  _we'll_  be the new Guardians. I'll bet we'll do a better job than they do." Tony said.

"Yeah…" She said softly.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you like he did."

She wanted to believe him so badly that she nearly did, but her heart longed for Shinae.

"So where are you staying now?" He asked.

"I… I don't know."

"I have this little beach house. My brother always tries to take my girlfriend there, but I can make him stop, now that the monster's gone."

"What monster?"

He paused, scrambling for an answer. "Err…" Truth was the only explanation he could find, but he hoped on the fact that maybe she was not entirely listening and would not think too much into it. "I call my brother a monster sometimes. He can really be a devil."

She did not listen well and thought nothing of his irrational explanation. Her heart was breaking more and more every second with the thought that Shinae could use her and leave her in such a way as the men of her past life would have. The idea came then that perhaps all men were that way… She did not want to accept it, but slowly her mind gave over to the idea.

Tony led Vivian through the woods by the not quite full moon that flickered lightly through the trees. He knew the direction of the village once he saw the moon and stars. Without them, he would be lost. He led her around to the beach area at the edge of the woods. His fort was there, a woven cloth tent tied up carelessly by a rope and a tree branch.

"You can sleep here. I'll try to warn you if my brother is coming. If you see anyone but me, hide." He paused. "Actually… hide if you see me, too. My brother looks almost exactly like me. He fools my girlfriend all the time. He's the one who got her to date me in the first place."

"Sounds more like she's dating  _him_ …" Vivian said. A cruel mood rose in her, driven by hurt.

Tony scowled. "She's not. Ask anyone. He never even kissed her. I made sure he wouldn't."

"Don't get so defensive. You're the one who put him up to it." She said, sitting down straight upright on the mat on the floor inside the tent.

His scowl didn't leave. "I'll bring you a blanket tomorrow night. It's warm tonight." He turned to go. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye." She watched him leave. When she was sure he was out of sight and hearing range, she laid down on the floor and cried herself to sleep.

( **Some time later...** )

Vivian sat quietly in her little makeshift fort. She had climbed a tree and stretched a blanket firmly between two branches for a bed. There was a cover made of thick dinosaur skin for her roof. It kept out the rains; while a cotton blanket kept her warm on cold nights. Tony had wanted the beach house for his girlfriend after all.

Her stomach had made her quite sick in the last four weeks. She knew for sure that she was pregnant now. There was no doubt. The morning sickness was almost too much for her to handle.

It was evening now. The sun had set silently in the horizon, leaving the moon to light the dark forest.

Vivian knew it was dangerous, but she was close enough to the village that if she screamed, someone would hear her.

She closed her eyes and clutched her stomach.  _Where are you, my love? Why have you left me here alone when I need you most? You told me if I needed you, you would come..._ A tear rolled off her cheek.

"Vivian?"

She sat up and looked over the edge of her hammock. Tony stood below her.

"I brought you food."

She carefully climbed down. "Thanks." She took the sack of food from his hands.

He looked down at the small lump in her previously flat stomach. "So... you really are pregnant?"

She sighed. "No, dumbass. I'm doing all this as a joke for no reason." She rolled her eyes.

"Well, why don't you just..." He hesitated.

"Just what?" She asked.

"Just...kill it?"

She stared at him. "Kill it? Kill an unborn baby before it's had the chance to see the light of day or hear its name called? Before its even known as a boy or a girl? You...you're sick."

"Well, it's not like it will feel anything..."

"No, it won't, but that's exactly the point isn't it? It won't feel  _anything._  Ever. In its entire life. Would you condemn someone to death before they were even born? You know what, no. Don't even answer that. Get out of my sight." She turned to her tree.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"You meant every word of it. Don't even bother lying to me. I don't want to hear another word. Go away." She climbed back into her hammock and stared up at the makeshift roof. A tear rolled off her cheek.  _I miss you... if you're out there, somewhere...if you can hear me...I love you._

( **Some time** **later...** ) **  
**

Krystal sat in her favorite tree, overlooking the ocean. She had just left from another fight with Tony. This time they had ended their relationship. She had been the one to tell him to find another girl to harass. She had not meant it, but at the time she felt like she had.

Now she was finally alone...for the first time in her life there was no one to go to. She had not spoken to Connor since she found out he was lying to her. That was three months ago. Some harsh words were exchanged - mainly from her end - and that was that.

She sighed, taking in the slight breeze that was decorated with ocean spray.

"Krystal?"

She froze. How had she not sensed the intruder? "What is it?" She asked shortly. After a moment of focusing like her father had taught her, she realized it was Connor.

"I...I'm sorry about what happened. I didn't mean what I said. And I...I really hope you didn't mean what you said either."

She sat quietly on her tree branch, staring out to the sea while she pondered on how to react. He was doing it again. She knew it was him this time, but he was trying to act like he was actually Tony. This was almost the same apology she had heard dozens of times. The debate in her mind was whether to play along or call him out. She decided to play along on account of being lonely. "I didn't."

He sighed. "I'm sorry...I...I hate this. I hate that this keeps happening."

It took Krystal a moment to realize that he was actually talking about her and him. He was apologizing for their fight, and for lying to her so many times. He wasn't exactly lying this time, but his aim was to be misleading. "Then make it stop."

"I've tried. I...I really have. I'm so sorry..." He said.  _I had to do it. I just had to...I had to see you again. And I couldn't stay there and refuse him...he would have beat me again._

She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He really was trying, and he really was sorry, despite his intentions to appear as his brother. She decided to call him out on it. Subtly, but enough that he would know she was not stupid enough to mistake them again. "I forgive you, Connor."

He looked down. He knew she would be able to tell them apart... but he had listened to his brother's demands anyway. He was not sure exactly why, but he knew most of it had to do with seeing Krystal again. "Don't...don't tell my brother we spoke. And..."

"I'll pretend he apologized." She said. "...tell him that the next time he sees me he had better have something really nice to say, and flowers, and if he has any intentions of starting a fight, then he can forget speaking with me at all."

Connor sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Don't ever call me ma'am again." She snapped.

"Yes, my lady."

She straightened her back into a more proper sitting position. "Lady...that makes me sound old and sophisticated. Trash that one."

A slight grin crossed Connor's face. "As you wish, princess."

She kept her back to him to hide her grin. "Alright, you've done what your brother wanted. Now go."

But he could not mistake the sweet sound that came from her voice when she smiled.

Krystal sat on her branch, listening to his soft footsteps in the sand while the ocean cast its calming waves against the shore. It was then it occurred to her for the second time in her life that perhaps she liked Connor more than she had ever liked Tony.


	9. Chapter 9

Vivian lay in her hammock, gently rubbing her stomach. "You're gonna be a beautiful baby..." She said softly. "Your daddy is so beautiful...he's not here. But I know if he were...he would tell you how wonderful you're going to be. You may never get to meet him... there's trouble where he lives. He has to find a very special rock, and when he finds it he will come back." She smiled a little at the thought. "We should surprise him, you and I. Let's throw a big party, and have food and a bonfire..." The idea seemed ludicrous... but it was all she had to hope for. "You know... when I was a little girl, I had a mommy. She loved me very much. You would have loved to meet her. She was very beautiful. But she is no longer with us. She...she left. She went somewhere... somewhere wonderful, away in the sky. She's watching over us. She would be proud to see you. She would love you so much." A tear trailed down her cheek. "You have an uncle, too. He's my brother. I haven't seen him in a long time...but I know he would want to meet you."

She sighed softly. It seemed pathetic to her that the only person she had to talk to was an unborn child. But the hope of that child was something that kept her going. Another tear followed the first as she thought of Shinae.

That was when the pain hit.

It was subtle at first... just a small pang in her gut. But soon it was almost too much for her to handle. She doubled over and screamed.

The white behind her eyes seemed to be just a side effect of the pain.

The whole episode subsided just as suddenly as it had begun. Trembling, she slowly uncurled from the fetal position and straightened.

 _I don't remember being on the floor..._  She thought. It occurred to her that maybe she was having one of the visions of her past. It had been several years since her last one. Shinae had done a good job of protecting her from the terrors since the day he found her lying in the forest weeping over the death of her mother.

But now he was gone...maybe it was finally wearing off.

She looked around her. She was in a forest, but not one she knew. There was a mangled excuse for a ship lying in flames to her left. Small fires had started in the trees, but the rain that had started up was quickly killing them.

The pain in her stomach was the impact of flying out of the crash, she now realized.

The ominous clouds overhead dumped out buckets of rain across the land. She needed to find shelter, or she would surely freeze. The wreckage behind her was beyond salvaging.

Cold and sopping from the rain, Angela jogged through the trees in a direction she had decided to call North. It could have been any direction...she could even be going in circles, by the solid grey sky that offered no hint of difference. Every tree looked the same to her.

She broke into a full sprint, tearing across the ground as fast as her legs could move. There had to be  _something._ A beach, a lake, a pond, a rock... anything that would mark that she was not forever lost. She slowed to a walk and stopped by a tree to catch her breath. The air was different here... she almost choked, then took a few deep breaths and continued into the woods at a walk.

The cold began to set in faster than she was prepared for. It was winter on this part of the planet, something she had not known until she felt the first few snowflakes touch her fur. Her fingers and nose were the first to become numb, followed shortly by her toes and tail. The cold made her want to just curl up on the floor and succumb to its painful nagging. The water still on her fur and clothes from the rain began to turn to frost. Her breath was fully visible as fog as the light quickly began to disappear.

 _Just go one more step. Just a little farther. Don't stop moving, or you're going to die. Come on, keep moving. One more step, and one more after that._  The tears that began to spill did nothing but add to the accumulating frost decorating her grey fur. She blinked them away as fast as they came and stumbled on into the dark.

A stray branch caught her foot and she sprawled into the cold snow. The strength and resolve she had spent the last hour of walking building up left her in an instant, and she began to sob.

"Please...please don't let me die here, please...please..." She begged. Her eyes longed to close, just for a moment...

The black of night was no different than the black behind her eyelids, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

( **Meanwhile...** )

"Ramiro!" Maye cried. The elder Guardian was lying unconscious on the floor in the middle of the room.

"What happened?" Shinae demanded.

"I don't know! He was fine a minute ago." She replied. "I only left for the ten seconds it took to find you." She knelt by him and checked his pulse. "He's still alive. I think he just passed out."

The golden colored fox stirred and opened his eyes. "How are...are...what..."

"Are you alright?" Maye asked.

"I'm...fine. I just got a little dizzy." The details of his vision came back to him. He grabbed her shoulders. "Maye...the girl. Vivian. She...she killed them..."

Shinae's eyes widened. "What?!"

"I'm so sorry...it...everyone! They all die...except for...a few. The children of time survived."

"I don't understand." Maye said.

"I had a vision. Vivian and Tony...they destroyed everything. Everything we have worked for on this planet... everyone dies. Except for a few. Everyone else..." He winced. "It's all riding on Krystal. She... is the only one who can save us. She... will gain the power of the stone. She will find it."

Maye slowly helped him to his feet. "Come on. Let's get you over to the couch." She said.

He sat down and looked up with tears in his eyes. "Cerinia...our beautiful Cerinia. All of its people..." He looked up at Maye and stroked her cheek. "You're going to die, Maye... Only three of us will survive."

She stepped back in shock and looked at Shinae. They exchanged worried glances.

Ramiro closed his eyes as if in pain. "Everything rests on Krystal...all of it. It's all up to her."

( **Somewhere in Space...** )

Kevin piloted his ship down toward the surface. It had been three months since he had seen his home. In that time, he had found a whole world of planets and civilizations, and even learned enough of the most-used language to communicate coherently.

The idea of teaching this language to his sister and being able to talk to her without anyone overhearing was so enticing that he could not refuse. He piloted his ship through the empty space toward the planet he knew was there. By some freak of nature, it did not exist on any radar. Nor was it visible until you were already in range of the gravity.

As soon as Kevin felt the tug on his ship, he piloted downward.

The minute his ship entered the atmosphere, the external engines and internal battery shut down. He calmly switched on his auxiliary engine.

No response.

"Come on, you stupid..." He trailed off as the village came into sight and adjusted his landing gear. His ship had special manual controls that would allow him to land without the need of an engine. The flaps on his wings folded down and steadied the ship as he looked about for a place to land. There was no way this would be a smooth, precision set down.

The beach looked to be the best bet. He came down hard on the sand and was drug to a stop. One wing was half buried, and his landing gear was completely below the sand. He climbed out and took off his piloting helmet.

He checked his phone. It was dead. He sighed and put it in his ship, and then manually locked the cockpit. His other ship had unlimited power, but he had crashed it into the docking bay of a convoy not even a day after he left. He would need to find that power source to get back into space.

Luckily, he knew just where to look. But first things first; he needed to find his sister.

No sooner had he stepped past the tree line, a blue flash rammed straight into him in the form of a flying hug and a squeal of delight. He stumbled backwards and grabbed the nearest tree branch for support.

"Kevin!" The blue blur cried.

A grin split his face at the sound of his sister's voice. "Hey, little sis."

"I'm so happy you're back!" She said.

He leaned back, holding her high off the ground, and spun around in a circle until she screamed. Then he set her on the ground. "I have something amazing I want to tell you... well, teach you."

"What is it?" She asked.

"A new language."

Her eyes widened.

"Out there, there are hundreds of planets, and galaxies, and civilizations... but the one we are technically apart of is known as Lylat. They speak a different language than us. I want to teach you. Then we can talk, and no one will understand us." He grinned at the thought.

Her face lit up. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely. Let's get started! I can't wait to teach you. It's relatively simple... there are a few pronunciation differences, but the alphabet is just like ours, only mixed up. There's one extra letter, but that part's easy. The letters are all different symbols than what we use to write, but I can teach you most of the language in our own letters. Once you have learned it, I will show you the symbols associated with their letters."

Krystal's eyes sparkled with anticipation. The images from her brother's mind were incredible. The Lylatians were so different from her home; the way they talked, the way they wrote, the way they dressed, the way they ate, the way they thought... It was absolutely fascinating.

She followed him into the woods around the village and to his hideout, the sturdy cabin he had built from the ground. There they sat for several hours, talking about what had happened in Kevin's absence and going over the basics of the Lylatian language. By time the sun began to set, Krystal knew three sentences in Lylatian: My name is Krystal, I miss my brother, and I like to play in the sand by the beach.

The next three weeks, Krystal was hardly seen around the village. All of her time was spent in the little cabin with her brother, learning what she thought was the most interesting language in the universe.

Kevin hardly slept. When Krystal left each evening, he would stay up during the night writing out translations and variations in Lylatian. He was only staying long enough to finish a notebook for her and fix up a new power source for his ship.

One bright sunny morning, Krystal leaped out of her bed and quickly rinsed her face in the bucket of cold water in the kitchen. She dried her fur on a towel, and then ran outside and into the forest, not even bothering to eat breakfast or change out of her pajamas. She reached the cabin in a few moments and burst inside.

Her brother was gone.

 _He must be out getting food..._  She thought, walking slowly to the fireplace to light a fire.

A sheet of paper with writing on it sat in front of the hearth. She picked it up and read it.

" _My dearest sister, I'm sorry for leaving you without a proper goodbye. I hate goodbyes, and besides, I will be back one day soon. I left you a book on the floor to the right of the fireplace. In it I wrote down every rule of speech and writing that I could think of for Lylatian. When I return, we shall not speak a word of Cerinian to each other. Have fun with it, but remember not to tell anyone. Keep the book here where it will be safe. Be ready...next time I return, I am taking you with me._ "

A tear dampened the fur on her cheeks. She walked over to the book and picked it up. She leafed through the pages of sloppy handwriting and crude drawings.  _I'll learn it, brother. Every word. I'll learn it for you, and one day we'll leave this place forever._


	10. Chapter 10

" _The team_ _never needed you anyways. The only reason we let you join is because you begged us for so long!"_

_"You're such a moron!"_

_"You're too clingy. Give me a break! I can't always be at your service."_

_"Just leave me alone, Katt. Get out of here."_

_Alright. Alright, I give up. I'm gone._

The pink furred feline piloted her ship through the empty void of space. Tears streamed down her face at the memories of the last two years.  _Are you happy now?_  She wondered. "Are you?!" She screamed aloud. Sobs shook her shoulders. If she had been anywhere but in the safety of her ship, crying would be out of the question. But here in the middle of space, there was no one to point at her and call her a cry-baby or a scaredy-cat.

She let go of the controls to wipe her tears, but they kept coming. Her hand swept over the auto-pilot control and she rested her head in her arms. It was too long since she last had a good cry. Her eyes closed slowly, drowning out the emptiness of space. It wasn't long before she realized they were not going to open again, but she no longer cared. She laid her arms on her dash like a pillow and rested her head on her forearms, mashing a few buttons that were irrelevant to her at that moment.

It wasn't until she heard the planet collision alert that the ship's priorities overtook sleep and self-pity. She sat up quickly, looking at the radar. It showed nothing but blank space. She sniffed and wiped the dried tears off the right side of her face, focusing down on the radar screen.

"There's nothing there, you stupid shit." She reached for the manual controls and realized that she had switched off autopilot by accident, probably while she was crying. At the touch of a button, the radar zoomed out to show her position according to the entire Lylat System. She was beyond reach of any planet. The closest charted world was Dinosaur Planet, so named because there were dinosaurs there, and no one thought the small planet important enough to figure out the real name. Although it had its own sun, it was still in the vicinity of Lylat. Dinosaur Planet's sun itself revolved around Sol. One might go so far as to call its sun a planet, and Dinosaur Planet a moon. Except that the sun was a ball of burning gas, and was therefore unable to sustain life on the surface.

The fuel light flashed. Katt sighed. "Dinosaur Rock it is." She muttered. She grabbed the controls and attempted to turn around the ship, but they gave resistance. "Come on, you little shit!" She snapped. "I don't have enough fuel for you to-.."

And then she saw it. It took a few seconds for it to register in Katt's mind that the giant blob in front of her was an actual planet. "How...?" By the time she realized that she was caught in the gravity pull, it was too late to turn around. She was too low on fuel to escape the atmosphere of a planet and defy the gravity pull. She switched on the shields at full and lowered her speed.

"Damn place better have civilization." She muttered.

The wind whipped by outside the cockpit window with alarming speed. She reached for the brakes and froze. The entire system was blank, as if it was off. " _WHAT ARE YOU DOING!_ " She screamed, punching the starter.

Nothing happened.

Panic hit her like a brick in the face. She mashed the starter with her fist several times before giving up. The scenery below grew closer and closer. She hadn't gotten a look at the size of the planet, but average atmosphere reentry time didn't take more than a few minutes. "Help!" She cried, mashing random controls in desperation. Tears flooded her eyes again, but these were tears of fear.

"Manual controls! Manual controls!" She cried at the ship, knowing that there was no power to aid her request but trying anyway. She grabbed the joystick and tugged, with no response. It jerked around loosely as the ship began to shake. The buttons on the dash were growing hot. The red glow from reentry was spreading quickly.

"Shit!" With no power, her shields were now inactive and useless.

The ground was closer now. A gust of wind knocked the ship just off balance enough to send it into a gradual tailspin. Her hands flew to the cockpit window. It singed her fingers and she screamed, pulling them away. G-force lifted her out of her seat, and at that point she began to regret not putting on her seat belt when she left the docking bay. She turned her upper body and grabbed onto the safety harness that should have been holding her in her seat.

She had shot out the warning feature for not buckling in a long time ago. It never even occurred to her that one day she would actually need it. Her hips flew upward - or was it downward - to the cockpit window and smashed into the glass.

That's when an idea came to her.

She twisted in the air and hooked her arms through the harness for support, and then bashed at the window with her feet. "Damn... automatic... features!" She shouted, kicking at the spot that gave her most leverage to open it.

A soft, rewarding  _pop_  reached her ears. One of the locks broke off.

The spinning motion was making her dizzy, and the ground was too close for comfort. With a yell of panic, fear, and frustration, she launched her feet at the window again. The cockpit opened, and the cover tore off in the wind. The air threatened to suck her out of the ship, but her arms were still looped in the harness. She screamed, holding on for dear life. She was still too high to jump. The colors of the land below blended into a brownish green with a flash of blue every few milliseconds.

Her stomach turned and for a moment she thought she might lose her lunch. With a loud yell to steady her nerves, she pulled herself against the seat of her pink ship. A deep breath and a loud scream. She shoved away with all her might, praying that she wouldn't be decapitated by the spinning wings.

Her scream was lost in her chest as the sensation of falling backwards settled in. The most she managed was to flail her arms and shake in terror.

_This is it... this is where I die._

( **Meanwhile** )

"You're beautiful." He said softly.

"Thank you..." She whispered.

He kissed her neck from behind, and she shivered. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing...I'm just cold."

"I can warm you up." He said in a seductive tone.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Does everything always have to be about sex?"

"I wasn't-"

"I can sense your thought patterns. Even if I couldn't, I can hear it in your voice." She was on the edge of pushing him away and leaving.

He clenched his teeth and focused on blocking her out of his mind. The last thing he needed was her finding out what he'd been up to.

"Fine, block me out. Don't think I haven't felt you thinking about her." She snapped.

His eyes widened.

"Yes, your little white cat girl. She doesn't often leave your mind, does she?"

"What're you-" Her hand flew across his cheek faster than she could turn to face him.

"Don't lie to me. Don't you  _dare_  lie to me!" She stood up.

"Wait! Krystal, don't go!"

"Go run to your little lover. She's obviously on your mind more than I am. Enough that you have to block me out."

"No! That's not what-"

"Don't. Don't lie to my face... You're just making this worse."

"Krystal, I love you!"

"Stop." She walked calmly out of the tent, and then ran through the woods. She took the long way around the village. It added an extra fifteen minutes of running to what was originally ten minutes of walking, but this way she wouldn't be seen running through the village in broad daylight being chased by Tony. This made it harder for him to find her, as well.

Winded and aching, she arrived at her tree by the beach. The strength to climb the branches eluded her, and she sank to the sandy floor instead. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, there was a meteor streaking through the sky.

She slowly sat up, not taking her eyes off of it. A screaming presence came from within.

Krystal stood up and walked out of the trees to get a clear view from the sand. A red light soared toward her, trailed by smoke. She stood for a few seconds, unsure exactly where it was heading. It grew close and she fled back into the cover of the trees.

A short scream came from the sudden figure who flew out of the red blob.

She inhaled sharply and opened her mouth to scream again and twisted around in midair, her feet pointing toward the ground. "SHIT!" She screamed, realizing how fast the ground was coming toward her. Her feet hit the sand and she threw her weight forward into a somersault, trying to keep from breaking her legs. She rolled a good ten feet before the momentum died out, leaving her face down in the sand. She shook for a good minute before daring to move her body enough to bring her nose out of the ground. A severe pain came to her chest, and she wondered if she had cracked any ribs.

Sand particles were now magically transporting themselves into areas that physics should not have allowed sand particles to go. She got up slowly with a groan, brushing off most of the sand on the outside of her flight suit. Her right side was sore to the touch. The fact that she had landed on the soft sand was a miracle. Twenty feet off in any direction would have her dead. To the east, the forest. To the west, the ocean. To the south, rocks. To the north, more rocks.

She turned around and surveyed the edge of the jungle.  _Great,_ she thought _, watch me crash on the one planet that has no civilization._

Ten feet away from her in the water, her ship smoldered and sizzled. She waded into the water and climbed onto the remains of the hull. "I'll take that." She said, taking her blaster from the glove compartment. She waded back to the beach, working up a slight sweat in the heat.

It only took a moment to get out of the pink flight suit, leaving her clad in only her white lace underwear. She left it carelessly on the sand and readied her blaster.  _I'd better make sure this baby still works..._  She thought. She aimed at the sand and fired.

Nothing happened.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Great. No ship, no food, no communications, no civilizations on this godforsaken rock, possible broken ribs, and now no weapon. Can this day get any worse?" She said aloud.

The sound of a twig snapping reached her ears. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry fate! I shouldn't have said anything. Fuck!" She slowly turned toward the sound, raising her gun in attempt to bluff. "Who's there? Come out or I'll shoot you in the bloody face!"

Krystal's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her ears. She stepped out of the forest. "You...you speak...Lylatian?"

Katt eyed the blue-furred female before her suspiciously. "No shit." They stood there for a moment in silence. "Wipe that lousy gape off your face before I shoot it off."

"Your...weapon... will not work." Krystal said.

Katt's eyes narrowed. "It works just fine when I turn it around and bash someone's skull in."

"You are... loho violent."

"You've got quite an accent there."

"I can say... about you. The same." Krystal struggled to remember the lessons she had been going over for the last several weeks.

Katt rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Whatever, kid."

Krystal frowned. "Kid?"

"What are you, ten? I'm twice your age."

The blue vixen crossed her arms. "I am not ten."

"Yeah, sure. Where did you come from, anyway?" She asked, walking toward her flight suit. Might as well make some decent clothing out of it, since it didn't look like this girl came from a civilization of amenities.

"Home."

"Which is?"

"Here. If you want people...the...it is that way." She pointed awkwardly through the trees.

Katt bent down and picked up the flight suit with a wince.  _Damn. I definitely broke something._ "Hang on. I need to put this on." She pulled on the suit with a heavy sigh, wincing as she tried to fit her arms through the sleeves. Rather than struggle with the heat, she tore off the arms just off the shoulder and then slid it on. Her zipper went up the front like the old fashioned suits.

She followed the blue furred teenager through the woods and to a small village. They broke the treeline and came into an opening filled with hand-built houses. The villagers all went about their business; a woman pumped water near the well, a man sawed through a tree branch, two children ran along the dirt paths in a game of tag.

"Come. Meet my father." Krystal said. She took the stranger's hand and led her through the village. The people turned their heads to stare at the newcomer. Katt tried to ignore them and looked at her feet instead.

"I don't even know who  _you_  are." Katt protested, feeling more an more uneasy about the looks she was getting.

"My name is Krystal." The girl said, smiling over her shoulder. "And your name is Katt."

The feline blinked. "How'd you know-?"

"I can... know your thoughts." She replied.

"So... You're telepathic?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means you can read minds."

"Oh." Krystal furrowed her brow in thought, trying to understand Katt's words. She mulled over the feline's thought patterns until she could understand what the sentence meant. "Yes, a...tele..."

"Telepath."

"Yes. Telepath. That's what I am."

"Are there more?"

"Of course. Most of us are. Are you...not?" But as soon as she asked, Krystal knew the answer to her question. Telepathy was a rare thing where Katt was from. "Oh..."

"I always thought it was just a myth..." Katt said.

Krystal shrugged as they rounded the corner to her house. "Here we are." She opened the door. "Vukxoh!" She called. A second later she froze solid in horror.

Katt followed her inside and gasped.

Krystal's father was lying on the ground, unconscious.


	11. Chapter 11

Krystal knelt by her father, cursing.

"What happened?" Katt cried.

"I do not know!" Trying not to panic, she checked his pulse. Strong. "Vukxoh!" She cried. She lightly tapped his cheeks. A groan escaped his lips, and she scoffed at the scent of alcohol. "Oei rujkuht!" She cried angrily.

"He's okay, right?" Katt asked.

"He's been...drinking." Krystal replied with distaste.

Katt sighed in relief. "At least he's not seriously injured."

Krystal got up, furious. "He told me he stop."

"Stopped." Katt corrected.

"What ever!" Krystal snapped. She scoffed in exasperation. "Come on...I will show you around. Better than waiting for him to wake up."

Katt frowned. Her heart went out to the girl she'd just met, but she dare not show pity in front of anyone. Instead she followed quietly as Krystal showed her the village. It was barely a square mile.

She learned where the well was, and how to draw water. She learned where the blacksmith lived and made a mental note to order a weapon. She learned where bread and wine were made, and where the monsters brought in by the hunters were skinned and turned into meat. And last but not least, she learned where the Council stayed; up on a hill, above everyone else.

An older woman by the name of Luella had been watching the two girls for some time, especially Katt. She couldn't understand what they were saying, but she was fascinated by the pink color of Katt's fur. She approached Krystal while they were standing by the central gazebo.

"Nxo aj oeih vhaodt?" She asked.

"Kxaj aj Katt."

The feline's ears perked. "What's she saying?"

"She asked your name." Krystal replied.

"Nxoho tat jxo semo vhem?"

"Kxo jbo!" Krystal pointed upwards.

Katt stood awkwardly while Krystal and the old rabbit conversed in the native language. After a few minutes of gibberish, Krystal turned to Katt to explain.

"I told her...you are not from here, and that you...need... place to stay." She struggled. "Her...child died, long time ago, and she said... you... remind her of, and she would love to have... you... stay. At her home."

"Oh, I see... lonely, huh?" Katt asked.

Krystal nodded sympathetically.

"She...she doesn't speak a word of Lylatian, does she." It was more of a statement than a question. Krystal shook her head. "Great...well...tell her I'm happy for the hospitality."

Krystal turned to Luella. "Jxo neict ro xuffo ke jkuo nakx oei." The rabbit smiled gratefully and grasped Krystal's hand.

"Mudo kxudbj ke oei, celovo." With that, she turned and hobbled toward her house.

"What did she say?" Katt asked.

"Many thanks. She is very happy."

"Don't you know how to use contractions?" She asked. Krystal stared blankly. Katt sighed. "It looks like we're gonna have a lot of learning to do."

Her and Krystal sat down in the gazebo and discussed translations for several hours. Katt learned some simple words in Saurian, and Krystal learned a few things about Lylatian grammar. As the sun began to set, Krystal took Katt to Luella's house.

"Her name is Luella. I told her earlier that... you do not speak Saurian. Hope..fully... you can get on until morning. I will come and find you when the sun rises, and then I can translate for you."

"Okey dokey." Katt replied. "See you in the morning, then." She closed the door behind her.

Luella was in the kitchen with a pot of something over the fire. Whatever it was smelled delicious. Katt's stomach growled, and she realized that she hadn't eaten all day.

"Jemo veh oei?" Luella asked.

Katt blinked. "Umm..."

Luella chuckled and pointed to the soup. "Veh oei?"

 _Oei...oei...what the hell does oei mean? ...wait. Oei...oei...you? Okay, so...what about me? Okay maybe she's trying to offer me food. AND I'M STARVING HELL YES I WANT FOOD. How do you say hell yes? I'll just nod..._ Katt smiled and nodded.

Luella chuckled and prepared a bowl of soup for her new guest. "Jeif." She said, pointing to it.

Katt furrowed her brow. "What?"

"Jeif." Luella again pointed to the soup.

"...Cheef?" Katt asked.

"Jeif. Ak'j weet." Luella chuckled and handed her the bowl.

 _Something sweet?_  Katt wondered. "Uh... Than-err... Kay...kay...ooj?"

"Kxudbj." Luella corrected. "Oei uho loho nocsemo." She smiled.

Katt forced an awkward grin and took a bite of the soup. It was salty and tasted of cooked meat and vegetables. It was gone in a matter of minutes.

Luella had prepared a place for Katt to sleep; a mat on the floor with a knitted blanket for warmth. She left a log on the fire and went to her own bed. Katt slept restlessly, waking up every hour or so. The floor was hard, the air was cold, and she was so far from home.

Worries tormented her mind each time she awoke. Of all the things on her mind, it was Falco that worried her the most. The things he'd said to her were so horrible... but somewhere inside her she longed to believe he didn't mean them. She wished so hard that by early morning, she'd nearly convinced herself that he really didn't mean them.

By the time the sun had risen and the village people were awake, she found herself believing that he was sending out a search party to find her.

Tired and groggy, she pulled herself out of the bed and wandered out into the village. Krystal found her in a manner of minutes, and they resumed language lessons. By the end of four hours, Katt had forgotten all about Falco. The only thing on her mind now was the sound of the foreign language becoming clear in her ears.

For the next several weeks, the girls spent every day together. They hardly saw anyone else. They talked about their different worlds, compared cultures, and eventually began to alternate languages. Krystal would talk to Katt in Lylatian, and Katt would respond in Cerinian. It wasn't long before Katt could communicate coherently in Cerinia's native tongue.

"Let's try you out." Krystal said. She led Katt into the village. "Dad!" She called, opening the door into her house.

"What is it?"

"I've taught Katt to understand us!"

"That's nice, dear."

Krystal stood behind him, feeling disappointed. Here she had taught a stranger to understand their language, and her father didn't think it important enough to look up from the drawings on his desk.

She took a deep breath, scoffed, and walked away. "Forget it." She muttered.

"You okay?" Katt asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just angry at him. He never cares about anything." Krystal replied.

"I'm sorry."

"Krystal!"

The girls turned around to see one of the twins running up to them. He wrapped his arms around the blue vixen and held her tight.

"Tony?"

He sighed. "I'm so relieved you're not angry at me still. I missed you so much."

Krystal stood in shock for a moment before returning the embrace. "Is everything alright?"

"I haven't seen you in weeks!" He cried.

After a moment of thought, she realized it was true. She had barely spoken to anyone since Katt's arrival. "Oh... I'm sorry. I wasn't mad; I was busy. I must have lost track of the time."

He held her longer.

Katt coughed, and they ended the embrace.

"This is Katt!" Krystal said cheerfully. "Katt, this is Tony."

He frowned at Krystal for a second, and then smiled at Katt and shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"He's got a twin brother named Connor. You'll probably see him around too."

"I see." Katt said, smirking.

"Hey, Katt, do you mind if I borrow Krystal for a little while? There's something I need to talk to her about."

Katt winked at Krystal. "Oh, of course." She waved and walked away.

Krystal blushed.

"Come on." He took her hand and led her out of the village. "Where'd she come from, anyway? I've never seen her before."

"She fell out of the sky, literally. She said she's from Corneria. She flew here in a ship, but she crashed." Krystal said.

He smiled. "That sounds really cool." They walked hand in hand to Krystal's special tree. "I wanted to ask you if you still had that rock."

Krystal frowned. "...Connor?"

He gave her a sarcastic look. "You'd think by now you could tell the difference between my brother and I. But that's alright... I guess your friend Katt will just call me Tony forever."

"...I'm really sorry." Krystal put her hands over her mouth and blushed deeply.

"It's alright. I find it funny, actually."

"Are you talking about... the blue one?"

"Yes."

She looked up at her tree. "I hid it."

"Can I see it?"

"I'll get it." She climbed up to the third branch and removed a wood block, revealing a small hole she'd carved in the tree. Inside sat the beautiful blue stone. She took it out, smiling at the feel of it in her hands. She climbed back down. "Here it is." She opened her palm.

Connor reached over and picked it up. "It reminded me of you... that's why I gave it to you. It's blue, it lights up the darkness, and it's absolutely breathtakingly beautiful."

She blushed again. "Isn't it your brother's job to..."

"To what? Compliment you? I'm only saying what's true. Personally, I don't think he does it enough. I don't think a thousand words is enough to describe your beauty, but it doesn't hurt to tell you."

She looked down, blushing deeper.

"He should tell you every time he sees you how lovely you are. He should tell you every morning how the sun wouldn't rise the same without you here. He should say every evening that the beauty in your eyes outshines the moon and the stars combined."

"Stop it..."

He stood in front of her and lifted her chin with his fingers. "It's not made up, Krystal. It's true. You are... the most beautiful woman. Ever." He glanced at her lips, mere inches from his, longing to kiss them. He turned and stepped away instead.

She swallowed nervously, her heart racing. "You're not... going to...?"

"What?" He asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Try to kiss me?"

He bit his lip. "It's... not my place... You're my brother's girl, not mine. I just said that he should tell you more often how remarkable you are."

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

"He wants to see you tonight. He misses you."

"Okay."

"Sunset, the tent on the beach."

"Okay."

"That's all."

She said nothing as he walked away, a twinge in her heart telling her she should have said something to make him stay. She climbed into her tree again and put her stone away.

( **A few weeks later** ) **  
**

Vivian lay weakly on the floor, having just spent 28 hours in labor. Tony stood by her feet, holding her baby. "Thank you..." She whispered, and lost consciousness.

Tony stared at her for a few minutes. He looked back at the sleeping baby in his arms. Its fur was red. Not orangey like his, but deep, crimson red. He'd seen that red before.

The wolf.

Hatred for the creature in his arms swam through his veins, fueling his bad temper. The girl at his feet had slept with that monster and produced a child.

He stormed out of the tent he'd made for her and through the woods, still holding the child. All of the movement had woken the baby, and she began to cry. "Shut up! You're attracting fiends, you little monster!" Tony shouted. The baby wailed louder.

An idea formed in his mind. He walked faster, deeper into the woods. Sure enough, he happened upon a hungry dinosaur in less than five minutes. It growled at him. He slowly set down the screaming bundle. "Enjoy." He said, grinning as he backed away.

He kept backing up, faster and faster until he was running. He could still hear the baby crying, and wondered for a moment if he should go back for it. The monster roared, and he kept running.

The crying stopped.


	12. Chapter 12

"Shinae, you have to calm down!" Maye said frantically, trying to make him stop screaming.

"He killed her!" He cried. "That monster!"

"Calm down! You're going to kill yourself getting worked up like this."

Shinae turned to her, a dark look in his eyes. "He... killed... my daughter..."

Pity filled her eyes. "What?"

"He left her to be slaughtered by a hungry creature in the woods. And he did it on purpose."

Maye pulled him into her arms. "I'm so sorry..."

"And I can't even do anything... I can't save her... I can't hurt him..." His shoulders shook with silent sobs. "He killed her..." The words came out in a quiet whisper.

Maye held him tighter. "I'm sorry... I know it hurts... we'll get through this, okay? We'll find the rock, and then you can find a way to stop him..."

The usual quiet in the room was shattered by a father's mournful cries for his child.

(Meanwhile...)

Vivian pulled her knees closer to her chest, sobbing into her arms. "It's my fault!" She cried.

"No, it's not... these things happen." Tony said, trying to comfort her. It was only now, seeing her in such pain, that he began to regret his decision. He told her the baby had suddenly died in his arms, that she was probably malnourished or something.

She wailed into the air, as if her baby's soul could hear her and be returned to her.

Tony knelt by her side and put his arms around her. He'd never really tried to comfort someone before, and he wasn't exactly sure how to go about making her stop crying. She turned her face into his chest and continued crying for a while. Eventually, when she'd long since cried herself hoarse, she drifted into an exhausted sleep. He carefully set her on the mat, and then he left the tent and closed it behind him.

(Two Years Later)

Krystal bit into the large fruit, its juices running down her chin. Cheers reached her ears from the villagers, who had gathered to celebrate her sixteenth birthday. She grinned and passed the fruit to Katt as the musicians in the village began to play music using drums and flutes.

"Happy birthday!" Katt cried over the yells. She took a bite. The juice from the colorful, pear-shaped fruit was both sweet and bitter. It tasted not unlike Corneria's champagne. She passed the fruit on to her right. It was customary for everyone in the circle to share some of its juice. It was bound to be a night full of dancing, laughing, and a warm, bright bonfire.

The fruit finally made its way back almost to Krystal. She reached to take the last bit from Tony, who was to her left, when a hand from above interrupted her.

"Don't I get a bite, too?" A familiar voice asked.

"KEVIN!" Krystal leaped to her feet and embraced her brother with tears of joy. "You're back!"

"Hey, I wouldn't miss my little sister's big sixteenth, would I?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"I'm so glad you're here! Oh, you have to meet Katt."

Kevin had already made eye-contact with the most fascinating creature he'd ever seen.

Katt rose and offered her hand. "You're Krystal's brother?" She asked.

"I'm Kevin." He took her hand and kissed it. "And you're beautiful."

Katt's pink cheeks turned even pinker. "Thank you."

Seeing exactly what was going on between them, Krystal stepped away with the last two bites of her fruit and finished it. The effects of the fruit began to set in on the village people. It had many similarities to alcohol - minus the hangover in the morning - but it only took one bite to get one tipsy.

The village musicians played upbeat music with hand carved instruments, and everyone got up to dance. Kevin grabbed Katt's arm and pulled her with him to the dance floor. Tony snatched up Krystal's arm and spun her around a few times. She laughed and danced with him as the juice began to fog her brain.

Connor sat on the sidelines, watching her have fun with his brother and trying to keep a smile on his face.

After an hour or so of dancing, the movement and the noises began to get to Krystal. They swirled around in her head, and her skull began to throb lightly.

She walked out of the crowd of people and made her way out of the village and away from the noise, finding the path to her favorite tree. She climbed up and opened the niche, taking out the blue stone and holding it in her palm.

Rain drops began to fall from the sky. She looked up, and then half climbed and half fell out of the tree.

Sleeping in her home with all the noise outside seemed illogical. She followed the trail she knew well towards her cabin in the woods, still clutching the blue stone in her hands.

Connor trailed behind her, worried. He had seen her leave the group and knew she'd had more of the juice than anyone else. He'd nearly revealed himself when she fell out of the tree, but decided against it. She might be angry that he'd followed her, or mistake him for his brother yet again.

The stone began to glow. Suddenly realizing she was still carrying it, Krystal held it up at eye level.

Lightning lit up the sky. She gasped and stepped back, holding her arm up above her face. There was a bright flash of light, a surge of agonizing pain, and then she lost consciousness.

Connor screamed her name and ran to where she'd fallen. Lightning had just struck her dead on. Her entire body glowed brightly before she collapsed. He grabbed her shoulders and immediately regretted it. Pain surged through his body and flung him backwards. He groaned and climbed to his knees, crawling back toward her. "Krystal... Krystal..." He moaned, unable to find the energy to shout. He cautiously reached out and touched her arm, afraid of being shocked again. He shook her with no response.

There was a cabin twenty feet away. He mustered all the strength he could and climbed to his feet, holding her limp body in his arms. Slowly stumbling through the mud, he made it to the door. He lifted the latch and pulled it open, and then carried her inside. There was a fireplace to the left; he fell to his knees and laid her on the rug in front of it.

Her heart was still beating, and she was breathing. Her breath turned to thick fog in the cold air. Connor shivered.

"Fire..." He muttered, grabbing two logs off a pile and putting them inside the fireplace. There was a box of leaves and kindling on the other side, and two flint stones on the hearth. He started a fire with shaking hands, fighting off the urge to collapse. He just managed to nurse it to health before losing consciousness next to Krystal.

He awoke a few hours later with a start. Thunder boomed outside.

His stomach turned over with the sudden realization that Krystal hadn't moved at all, and she had possibly been injured. He rushed to her side. Her pulse was strong, and there were no signs of blood or burns. He sighed in relief.

The cabin door was still open. He got up slowly and closed it, pulling down the wood bar that locked it. The fire was dying, so he put another log on.

Krystal moaned behind him. He turned around to watch her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked over at him. "...which one are you?" She asked, slurring her speech.

"Shh... it's okay." He put his hand on her forehead. "Just rest a bit longer."

She closed her eyes and swallowed. "Connor..."

"Yeah..."

She was strangely okay with him being in her secret cabin. "What... happened?"

"You, uh... wandered off, so I followed you... I just wanted to make sure you were safe... and then you got struck by lightning."

Her eyes snapped open wide and she stared at him.

"You're okay, it seems. I mean, you're alive..."

She sat up and checked her body for burns. "I... I don't feel anything."

"Well, that's good. And you're not bleeding or anything. At least you weren't hurt." He stared at her.

Part of a side effect of the juice was loss of self control, and here he was struggling. His lips tingled with the longing to feel hers. He clenched his jaw and stood up, distancing himself. He closed his eyes to better concentrate on controlling himself.

The overwhelming desire to taste his kiss grew in Krystal's mind. Not quite thinking clearly, she got up and did just that.

Connor's eyes shot open in utter shock. She was kissing him! He couldn't find the coordination to respond in any way. She leaned back, not receiving any retaliation from him. Maybe she'd been wrong.

He grabbed her arms and pulled her close, kissing her deeply and driving her towards the wall. Her arms held him close, and he pushed his body up against her. Self control was a thing of the sober, and the past.

(Lemon Warning)

She put her hands around his waist and held him tighter against her, breaking the kiss. "Touch me..." She whispered in his ear.

Connor hesitated a moment, but only a moment. He didn't need another invitation. His hands slid along her waist and up to her breasts, gently squeezing them as he kissed her more. Her teeth bit gently into his lip, drawing a moan from him.

Her cold hands began to slide under his shirt, and suddenly his senses returned. He grabbed her wrists and pinned her to the wall, breathing heavily and staring at her. He opened his mouth to tell her they should stop, that his brother would be furious if he found out.

Her chest rose and fell, weakening his resolve with each soft pant, and her neck muscles flexed. He leaned in and nibbled her neck, drawing a soft whimper from her mouth. His hands released her wrists and went instead to her hips, slowly sliding back to her plump rear. She lifted her thighs around his hips, forcing him to support her weight between himself and the wall. She arched her chest and reached behind her, undoing the skimpy top that was customary for girls who had become of age to wear.

It fell to the floor, revealing her perky breasts. Connor's heart raced with the realization of what was beginning to take place.

This is really happening... this is actually... No. Fuck. I can't. I can't be with her... Even if we both want to, I can't risk her getting pregnant. Fuck. He winced as he struggled to keep his mind on track. He released her legs, letting her stand on her own, and then took a step back.

She followed him, pulling him into a deep kiss and beginning to undo his shirt. He didn't stop her. The feel of her skin against his was something he wanted to feel as often as possible for the rest of his life.

She went for his pants, and then he stopped her. "Krystal... we can't."

"Why not?" She demanded.

"I have no way of making sure that... an accident doesn't happen."

She hesitated for a moment, but lust and the fogginess of her mind took over again. She kissed him passionately, and again tried to undo his pants. He stopped her again.

"Krysta-..." He was cut off with a moan as her hand found its way to his groin. He struggled to fight the voices of lust, pleasure, and what he wanted to do with her. "St-...stop..." He said weakly, trying unsuccessfully to move her hand away.

"Be with me..." She whispered to his ear.

His entire body trembled as her hand moved below the layers of clothing. "Kry-...Krystal... we can't..."

"Just this once... Be with me, in the way you want to." She said seductively, rubbing her thumb over the most sensitive part of his body. He moaned. "We don't have to tell anyone...ever..."

He grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away from him in a quick motion. He shoved her back to the wall, slightly rougher than he'd intended to. He reached for the clasps to her loincloth and pulled it off. Her eyes were wide, staring at him with just a hint of fear. He must have hurt her when he'd shoved her. In apology, he knelt down and softly kissed her stomach.

He placed his hand on her waist, looking her in the eyes, and slowly felt his way down without breaking eye contact. When the stare was broken, it was Krystal who arched her chest up with a moan. He finally looked down to see where it was his fingers were going. It was harder than ever to keep himself in check, but he refused to break. He intended to satisfy her without endangering them both.

The noises coming from her told him he was doing something right, but they also made his struggle worse. He moved his body up without stopping and kissed her deeply. Her nails dug into his shoulders, and he winced.

She pulled him close and spoke into his ear. "Make love to me."

He bit his lip. "I can't..."

"Yes, you can..." She begged.

He clenched his teeth and made a fist. "But if I..."

"There are...plants I can eat..."

"They don't always work. Besides, this isn't you. This is just..." He scoffed and turned away. "This is the juice talking."

She stepped after him. "This is me... doesn't it make people honest?"

"Honest and full of lust."

"Maybe I..." She trailed off.

"Maybe you what?"

"Maybe I just want to be with you..."

"That's bullshit. You're in love with my brother."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you the one who won my heart back again and again?"

"And yet you always go to him." He turned his back to her.

She walked up behind him and put her arms around his waist. "I'm of age, now. I can make my own decisions."

"You're drunk."

"It's my birthday, and you're supposed to give me something."

"I can't give you that."

"Why not?"

"What if you end up... pregnant?"

"I'll eat the fruit and the leaves of that plant."

"You don't even know what part of it you're supposed to eat. And if you eat too much it makes you infertile forever."

"I don't care."

"You just got struck by lightning for crying out loud!"

"I feel perfectly fine."

He groaned in frustration. "You're so stubborn! Stop it!"

"Please... This is the only time I'll ever ask this of you. And I'll never mention it again.. And if you really don't want to, that's okay... I just... I know that your brother is... He's not gentle, like you. I want my first time to be with someone...who's not going to hurt me. Someone I trust."

He stared at her. The fire behind her made her fur appear to glow. The woman you love is standing here, naked, begging for you to make love to her... and you're arguing with her? What the fuck is wrong with you? He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with his clean hand, taking a deep breath. This could go wrong in so many ways... This could fuck up your entire life. This... is not even your problem, because she will never be yours. She will always be his. And this is your one chance to have her, where from now on he will have his way with her whenever he pleases. And she's right; he won't be gentle with her. He swallowed, looking over at her.

Her eyes were sad, and it was something he couldn't stand to see. He walked forward and kissed her softly, holding her cheek in his hand. Maybe if his head were clear he could have found the strength to argue and deny her, but tonight he was giving in to their deepest desires.

He kissed her passionately, pushing her back towards the wall. His hands went to her thighs and he pulled her legs up around his waist, leaning her against the wall as he undid his pants.

She smiled at him. "You're really gorgeous, you know that?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Coming from you? That's an honor." His face flushed. "I, uh. I've never done this. And... I assume you haven't."

"It can't be that difficult to figure out." She teased.

He smiled at her joke, reaching around her leg to feel around. He grabbed his shaft and held it. "I'm just gonna...sorta lower you down."

She grimaced. "Ow!"

"Sorry!"

"Just...go slow."

"Okay...okay. Um..oh...wow..." He raised his eyebrows.

Her muscles were still tense. "Ow! Stop! What?"

"I... I didn't know it felt this good."

"Well, I'm glad you're having fun."

"Sorry! We can stop. Here, I'll put you down-"

"Ow! Don't move!"

"Sorry! Sorry..."

"Just let me..." She closed her eyes and bit her lip and slowly lowered herself until he was completely inside. "Wow, that's deep."

He blushed. "I don't mind at all."

She smiled and kissed his mouth. "So, how is this gonna work from here?"

"Well...I hadn't really planned this."

"But I know you've thought about it."

His face turned red hot. "I'll see if I can kinda set you down somehow..." He aimed for the rug and dropped to his knees. He winced in pain. "That wasn't a good idea."

"I'm sorry!" She kissed his face.

He carefully leaned forward until they were basically laying down, and then slowly slid out of her. "Do you want to keep going, or..."

She blushed and nodded. He gently pressed in again. She grimaced, and he pulled back. "Keep going..." She said softly. He eased in again, enjoying every time immensely. "It... it doesn't hurt anymore. I think you can go a little faster..." He began to thrust, not quite rhythmically but at a faster pace. She moaned in his ear, spiking his heart rate.

"Krystal..." He whispered softly.

"Yes, Connor?"

"Would this... be a bad time... to tell you... I love you?"

She held him close, kissing his neck and cheeks. "I... I love you, too." Her heart pounded as he continued on, panting heavily. "I... I think I might be...getting close..."

He groaned, trying to thrust faster while using every ounce of concentration to not blow his load before she was satisfied. "Oh god... no. no.." He moaned as he climaxed, despite his best efforts.

Krystal gasped.

"Oh god. I'm sorry!"

She blushed. "It's okay! I just didn't expect it to feel like that..."

"What?"

"I... I could feel your, uh...you know."

"Sorry!"

"It's alright..."

"No, I'll fix this. I-I was nervous and you were just...you're amazing. I'm shutting up and fixing this."

Before she could protest, he was slipping two fingers inside of her and placing his mouth on the general area of her clit. She moaned. "Whatever that was, please do it again." He repeated the motion with his fingers, drawing out another moan.

She gently pushed his mouth away and pointed directly to her sweet spot. He blushed and apologized and adjusted himself accordingly. Her moans grew louder, and after a few minutes, he felt her growing close.

He looked up at her face as she moaned his name.

"Yes, Krystal?"

"I'm almost there... do it faster."

"As you wish, princess."

She cried out as the climax overtook her.

"Whoa..." Connor looked up at her, eyebrows raised.

"What is it?" She asked.

"I, uh... I just didn't expect it to feel like that."

"What?"

He blushed. "I mean. I physically felt it. But I also... I felt something in my soul."

"You did too?"

"Yeah. Wait, you felt it?"

"When you were..." She blushed. "When you, you know, I felt it physically of course, but I felt something in my chest."

"I... I felt the same thing. Like...some kind of connection."

She smiled at him and raised a brow. "You look like you're..." she glanced down, "ready for another round."

"Uh..." He looked down, and then his face flushed red. "I guess I am, I mean, if you want to."

In response, she pulled him close and kissed him passionately.

Connor closed his eyes in bliss. He silently wished that this night would last forever.

Tonight was the night he could hold the woman he loved the way he wanted to for eternity. He could feel her body pressed against his, and feel himself inside of her. He could feel her breasts rise and fall with each pant and moan, and feel her heart pound against her chest. He could feel the emotions rise in her heart as she cried out in ecstasy, and share the bliss in an intimate way only telepaths could. He could feel her muscles slowly relax as they came down from the high. He could lie next to her, sweating and exhausted, and fall asleep with her warm body snuggled in his arms. She was everything he ever wanted, and tonight he would share his soul with her.

But tonight was the last time he could ever hold her this way.


	13. Chapter 13

Krystal woke next to a warm body. Her eyes fluttered open to look on the face of the man beside her. The details of the night were foggy at first, but they cleared up in a few moments. It wasn't a dream.

She lay still for a few moments, watching him sleep. This was the last time she could be with him. Tony would kill him if he ever found out, and who knew what he would do to her. She closed her eyes, feeling his presence and breathing in his sweet scent. She got up slowly, careful not to wake him.

First things first. The berries. Was it the berries, or the leaves?

She opted for the berries. They were tart and bitter, but she ate two handfuls just to be sure.

"Krystal?"

She turned around. "Connor?"

"Why did you leave?"

"I'm...I'm sorry..." She looked down. "We can't be together. You know that."

"After last night... you're just going to leave like this?"

"You knew, Connor. You knew this would happen."

"I thought I would at least get a chance to say good morning."

"Goodbye, Connor."

"Goodbye?"

"I don't want to see you anymore." She turned away from him so that he couldn't see the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Leave me alone."

"You're lying. You're lying because of Tony."

"I'm not lying. I... don't love you. I love him."

"I can hear the tears in your voice. I can feel the pain in your heart. You don't mean it."

"You can't tell me what I feel and what I don't! You're... confusing me with yourself. Your pain is what you're feeling, not mine. Leave me alone!" She began to walk away, but he stopped her.

"You can't share something like that with a person and not feel anything. You feel something. We're connected now."

"You're over-analyzing and assuming that what happened last night was anything more than bad decisions made from drunkenness."

Now he was starting to cry. "Stop this... Krystal, I love you."

She swallowed, barely controlling herself. "I don't..." Her voice cracked and she took a breath. "I don't love you. I never will. Get over it and find a girl you actually can be with." She shoved out of his grip and strode quickly off into the forest, leaving him speechless and frozen in place.

It wasn't until he was out of sight that she let the tears fall.

"Krystal?"

She sniffled and wiped her eyes, trying to vanquish signs of her crying.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Tell me the truth." Tony wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"I'm fine, okay?"

"What happened to you last night? You disappeared, and now you appear in the middle of the forest crying. That's not fine, Krystal."

"I don't want to talk about it!" She snapped, trying her best to stop crying.

"What's in your hand?"

"Nothing." She was still holding some of the berries she'd been eating.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her fingers open. His expression turned to one of confusion. "You're eating the... but you're..." It only took a few seconds for him to put it together, but he had to know for sure. In her vulnerable state, it wasn't difficult for Tony to access her mind and find out the truth. "You... you slept with my brother?"

Her eyes widened. She hadn't been fast enough to block him out of her thoughts.

"You fucking slut! You fucked him!" Before she knew what was happening his hand slammed into the side of her face with enough force to make her see stars. She stumbled to the ground, holding her cheek.

"Stop this! You knew you had it coming for acting the way you do all of the time! Why can't you just be nice, like your brother?"

His anger fueled his mind. Going against every code of telepaths, he broke into her mind.

"What- what are you doing?! Stop!" Krystal screamed as he began to wreak havoc on her memories. Her mind was screaming inside her head in agony as it was ripped apart and trampled. She threw out her hands and scrambled away from him, still screaming. Her hands flew to her head and she sank to her knees. The pain was nearly unbearable. The world around her began to spin.

"Krystal! What have you DONE?!" Connor rushed at Tony and struck him in the jaw as hard as he could. To his surprise, he collapsed.

He knelt by Krystal, who was curled on the ground, holding her head. He put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. "What happened?"

She didn't say anything.

"Did he hit you?" No response. "Krystal, talk to me."

Nothing.

He pulled her arm away from her head. Her eyes stared past him, and her face was expressionless. He shook her shoulders, and her arms flopped like a rag doll.

He closed his eyes and cautiously reached into her thoughts through telepathy. What he found chilled him to the bone. Her entire mind had been torn apart. Tony had taken the intricate sandcastle of her beautiful mind and memories and stomped through it until there was almost nothing left. He reached out and placed his hands on either side of her face.

"Hey... hey, look at me. It's gonna be okay, princess. It's gonna be okay."

Her eyes were blank; there was nothing but emptiness.

"I'm going to fix this... just hold on in there." He closed his eyes to concentrate. Little by little, he tried to put her back together. There were a few things that had been completely obliterated, but for the most part, he had salvaged her mind.

She had fallen unconscious during the process. He gently shook her shoulder, trying to wake her. "Krystal... Krystal, wake up."

The blow that came to his side was beyond unexpected. He rolled several feet in the dirt and lay there gasping for a moment.

"You piece of shit!" Tony screamed. He grabbed Connor's shirt and pulled him to his feet, and then punched him hard in the face. Connor stumbled unceremoniously to his rear, still reeling from the initial shock of being kicked in the ribs. He managed to block a kick to the face with his arms, but the branch that struck him on the back of the head sent stars through his vision. "I'll kill you!"

"Tony, I-" The words were cut short with a punch to the gut. Tony climbed on top of him, throwing punches as hard as he could to wherever he could hit. Connor cringed and did his best to block what hits he could.

"Your fucking wolf friend is dead! Now what are you going to do? I'll beat you to a fucking pulp you little fuck!"

Connor curled his arms tightly around his face and began to sob. The pain in his ribs made it difficult to breathe, and Tony was sitting on him on top of it. He could already feel the bruises forming on his arms and face. The blows ceased for a moment, and Connor thought it was over for a few fleeting seconds.

Instead, Tony's hands wrapped tightly around his throat and began to choke him. He struggled against the arms, spots dancing across his vision. He kicked and swatted and flailed his arms.

His hand struck something solid, and he spread his fingers over it. A rock. He closed his fist around it and thrust his arm towards Tony's face as hard as he could. The blow knocked the fox straight off his brother and to the floor.

Tony reached up to his head, and his hand came away bloody. "You..."

Connor gulped in much needed oxygen and stumbled to his feet, grimacing in pain. "Fuck you." Energy and adrenaline surged through his veins. The pain was a distant hum in the back of his mind, now. The anger flooded his vision in blue light-

Blue light?

Connor gasped as he realized that his entire body was glowing a deep blue. Tony was beginning to stand up.

"What the-"

In a bright flash, the blue glow left Connor's body and flew towards Tony, knocking him several feet through the air and straight into a tree, where he once again lost consciousness.

The pain came flooding back to Connor. He limped over to Krystal, who was lying still exactly where he'd left her. He picked her up, but immediately regretted doing so. His ribs smarted so bad that he could see spots.

He clenched his teeth. The blue glow began to return, and the pain dulled again. He carried Krystal's limp form through the forest and back to the village. Her house was open and her father gone, as usual. He left her sleeping on her bed and then carefully made his way back to his own home.

Most of the villagers were too busy working to notice the bloodied fox limping through the street.

He collapsed on his bed and the spinning room faded to black.

( **Meanwhile...** )

Vivian slowed from a jog to a walk, and then stopped altogether. She was sure she had heard screams coming from the forest.

Maybe to the right?

She continued on for a few steps, and stopped again. There, in the middle of the deserted forest, was a cabin. She walked towards it, curious. Had the screams come from the cabin?

No, it looked deserted. She walked around to the window and peered in. A fire had died there recently, survived only by the dimly lit coals. The only room it had was empty.

She shrugged, turning to leave, but something caught her eye.

On the ground several feet in front of the door was a mysterious blue stone.


End file.
